Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has been cleared to return to practice next week, after he suffered a strained groin on Christmas Day.
James, 34, will not travel with the team for road games against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday and the Houston Rockets on Saturday.
The four-time NBA MVP was evaluated by the team's medical staff on Wednesday.
No date was set for his first game back with a statement released by the Lakers saying only that he would "progress towards a return to game play thereafter".
So far, the Lakers are 4-7 since James got hurt in the win at the Golden State Warriors, including a 107-100 win against the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.
They are eighth in the western conference at 24-21 with up to 14 teams in contention for a play-off berth.
In his first season in LA, James is averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 34 games.
