After LeBron James suffered a right foot injury Sunday, the team initially said the NBA’s all-time leading scorer would be re-evaluated “in two weeks.” Now comes word that the Lakers star will miss more time than originally thought.
Per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, James was diagnosed with a tendon injury in his right foot, and the team will re-assess his status in three weeks. That timeline means James potentially could miss the majority of the team’s remaining 19 games.
The injury robs James from attempting to will the Lakers to a spot in the top 10 and the play-in tournament while adding another frustrating chapter to his time in L.A.
The Lakers game against Oklahoma City on March 1 represented the 100th game James has missed as a Laker. He’s played in 270 of a possible 370 regular-season games (~73 percent) and failed to play at least 70 percent of his games in all but one season in Los Angeles. It shouldn’t be a shock to learn that was the Lakers championship 2019-20 season, when James only missed four games.
He’s missed at least 26 games during his three other full seasons with the Lakers and is likely to reach that number again based on Thursday’s injury update.
His 29.5 points and 36.1 minutes per game this season attests to the fact James has plenty left in the tank, but his string of injury misfortunate reveals the toll a 20-year career in the NBA has on the body.
It’s possible James returns to the Lakers out of playoff contention, which would underscore the frustrations fans felt when the team failed to trade for help around James until the last minute.
Los Angeles should know better than anyone that having James around is a luxury and not a guarantee.
