Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James could miss several weeks due to a right foot injury, sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
James, 38, experienced the injury during the Lakers' win against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday (February 26) and is scheduled to undergo further testing to determine the exact diagnosis, having already been ruled out for Tuesday (February 28) night's game against the Memphis Grizzlies with what the team described as a sore foot.
"ESPN Sources: LeBron James’s right foot is expected to be reassessed in two weeks to see how much progress he’s made, but timeline on return expected to extend beyond that checkpoint. Where Lakers reside in standings by then could impact how soon it makes sense for him to return," Wojnarowski tweeted on Tuesday.
The four-time NBA champion was seen walking with a noticeable limp after falling on the floor in pain during the third quarter of Sunday's game and told ESPN's Katie George that he thought he stepped on Mavericks big man Dwight Powell's foot, which caused discomfort during a postgame on-court interview, although replays showed that James experienced a noncontact injury. The four-time NBA MVP managed to score 11 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter despite the injury, which helped the Lakers win their third consecutive game and move into the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference standings, which represents the final play-in spot.
During All-Star Weekend, James referred to Los Angeles' remaining schedules as "23 of the most important games" of his career prior to experiencing the injury. The Lakers missed the playoffs in 2022 and in 2019, which marked just the fourth time James was absent from the postseason during his 20-year NBA career.
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