As the Los Angeles Lakers prepare for their Friday night matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, LeBron James' status has suddenly come into question.
Hours before the game is set to tip off out West, the Lakers announced that LeBron James is dealing with left knee soreness. According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, LeBron is now considered questionable for Friday's action.
The Lakers missed LeBron two games ago, when they hosted the San Antonio Spurs. Without James on the floor, the Lakers were defeated 136-108. Before heading into the All-Star break, James returned to the court to take on the Dallas Mavericks.
The star forward checked in for 35 minutes. He shot 10-20 from the field and knocked down all but one of his seven free throws. He scored 28 points while racking up a triple-double with 10 rebounds and 12 assists. The Lakers went into the All-Star break with a convincing 124-104 win.
Despite entering the 2025-2026 NBA season on the injury report for several weeks, James has been relatively healthy throughout the season. He made his debut on November 18 against the Utah Jazz and has only missed four games since then. He hasn't missed consecutive games since making his season debut.
At 41, LeBron is still playing at a high level. The All-Star averaged 22.0 points, 7.1 assists, and 5.8 rebounds leading up to the All-Star break. He is shooting 50 percent from the field and 30 percent from beyond the arc this season.
The Lakers are 33-21 heading into Friday's action. They sit fifth in the Western Conference, trailing the Denver Nuggets by one game. While the key moving forward is good health for the Lakers, they are already starting with a question mark in the health department, leading up to the first game back from the break.
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