LeBron James is slated to make his highly-anticipated return to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday ... after missing more than a month due to injury.

Bron -- who suffered a high ankle sprain against the Atlanta Hawks on March 20 -- is expected to play in the Lake Show's matchup against the Sacramento Kings as long as warmups go according to plan, Shams Charania reports.

The injury was tough on James -- he was having an MVP-caliber season with 25 points and nearly 8 rebounds and 8 assists before going down with the injury.

LeBron's absence during the 2021 season marks the longest of his career.

The Lakers have certainly missed his presence ... going 8-12 and falling to 5th in the Western Conference during his time away from the court.

Of course, Anthony Davis also missed several games this season with a calf strain and Achilles tendinosis ... so the Purple & Gold have got to be excited to have the gang back together.