Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James could miss several weeks with a right foot injury, a person familiar with the matter said Monday night.
The precise nature of the injury is not yet known and further test results were pending, said the source, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither James nor had the Lakers announced anything related to a long-term absence.
The Lakers had already rested James — the NBA’s all-time leading scorer — in preparation for Tuesday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies because of what they called pain in his right foot.
James played 37 minutes in the team’s 111-108 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, helping the Lakers turn the tide after trailing a 27-point deficit. However, he left the arena limping.
James was injured in the third quarter, grabbing his ankle after spending time on the ground in obvious pain. But he stayed to finish the game, underscoring how important it was to the Lakers’ playoff hopes.
“I already felt better, but I was definitely not going to go back to the locker room and not finish the game,” James said.
“With the importance of this game and the good momentum we had, I felt we could snatch victory after being in deficit. »
The Lakers’ leading scorer with 29.5 points per game, James said during the recent All-Star Game break that the final sprint would bring together some of the most important games he’s ever played in – noting he didn’t want to not miss the playoffs for a second straight year.
The Lakers (29-32) occupied the 12e rank in the Western Conference on Monday, one game behind 10e rung, and only two and a half games behind the Mavericks in the race for sixth place. The top six teams from each association are guaranteed playoff spots.