LeBron James is ruled OUT of the Lakers' game against the San Antonio Spurs tonight... with calf injury stopping him facing off with Victor Wembanyama for the first time

LeBron James' wait to face off with the NBA's newest star Victor Wembanyama will have to wait after the Los Angeles Lakers star was ruled out of tonight's game against the San Antonio Spurs.

James, 38, is struggling with a left calf contusion and the team announced 30 minutes before tip-off that the team's star would not be on court tonight.

James has played in 23 of the Lakers' 25 games so far this season, despite starting on a pitch count in order to preserve his body.

He is averaging 25.3 points-per-game, and has helped the Lakers to a 14-10 record to start the season.

Wembanyama's Spurs, meanwhile, are a lowly 3-19, and he is averaging 18.8 points per game as he begins to settle into the NBA under heavy scrutiny.

The team are currently on a 16-game losing streak, and it seems unlikely they'll snap that with the Lakers in town on Wednesday night.

LeBron and Co are heading into a stretch of road games off the back of their NBA In-Season Tournament success in Las Vegas, in which they beat the Indiana Pacers to become the first team to lift the trophy.

James then played against the Mavericks on Tuesday, but will now sit Wednesday's game to recover from his injury.

After two games in San Antonio, the Lakers head back to LA to host the in-form New York Knicks, before travelling to Chicago.