Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James suffered an injury during Saturday night’s game against the Boston Celtics, and some new information about the severity has emerged.
LeBron put a double-pivot move on Jaylen Brown in the post and converted a basket midway through the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ 111-101 loss to the Celtics at TD Garden in Boston, Mass. James appeared to be very gimpy on his way back up the floor (video here). He exited the game shortly after and was seen stretching out his groin area on the sideline.
After the game, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that the initial belief was that LeBron would be sidelined for a matter of weeks, not days. McMenamin’s ESPN colleague Shams Charania shared some new information on Sunday morning.
LeBron James in a purple Lakers sweater
Dec 9, 2021; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) warms-up prior to the game against the Memphis Grizzles at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
According to Charania, James has been diagnosed with a groin strain and will miss at least 1-2 weeks.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is expected to miss at least 1-to-2 weeks with a groin strain, sources tell ESPN. James will wait for the groin injury to calm down over the next 24 hours and receive another evaluation. pic.twitter.com/17mWxsaXN3
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 9, 2025
LeBron did not sound all that concerned when he spoke with reporters after the game. He said he does not think the injury is the same as a similar one that cost him 17 games several years ago.
Either way, the timing is not ideal for the Lakers. They had won eight straight entering Saturday’s game and are only a half-game behind the second-place Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference.
James and Luka Doncic had been playing well together, but the latter will now need to carry the load for L.A. while LeBron is sidelined.