LeBron James exited the Lakers’ defeat to the Celtics on Saturday evening due to a groin injury, and he may be facing a lengthy period away from play.
James left the game with 6:44 remaining and did not come back, and ESPN’s Dave McMenamin later indicated that ‘the initial thought’ is the four-time MVP could be out for weeks, not just days.
The report mentioned an unnamed source as making that forecast, although McMenamin qualified that it was ‘too soon to estimate an exact timeline’ for James.
Still, Lakers supporters will be anxious about the superstar’s condition following the end of the team’s eight-game winning run by Boston.
The injury is thought to have happened in the fourth quarter while he was driving to the basket against Jaylen Brown, executing a pump fake, and spinning for a shot.
James cautiously jogged back on defense and participated in one more possession before being removed from the game during the next timeout.
Nonetheless, following his team’s 111-101 defeat against Boston, he expressed that he considered this injury to be not as serious.
James, 40, had recently been showcasing his finest basketball of the season with new teammate Luka Doncic, as they aided LA in reaching the No. 2 seed in the West prior to their defeat on Saturday.
In February, James showed his former brilliance, averaging 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game for his team.
Doncic seemed to be dealing with a back injury on Saturday, and he was spotted cradling the region in the fourth quarter when James exited the game.
Nevertheless, Doncic managed to tough it out for the remainder of the game, ending with 34 points and eight rebounds for the Lakers.