Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is expected to miss at least one-to-two weeks after suffering a groin injury against the Boston Celtics. ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported the news on social media.
James suffered the injury late in the game against the Celtics and had to exit. The entire Lakers team held their collective breath as they saw their leader head to the locker room.
After the game, James seemed to downplay the injury, saying that it wasn't of much concern. This came after other reports saying that James wouldn't return for weeks, not days.
"Not much concern... Day-to-day, look at it each day & see if it gets better."
However, this news certainly is a blow to the Lakers' overall chances down the stretch of the season. James has been playing at a very high level this season so his presence will be missed on the court.
For the year, James has averaged 25.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game. Despite his being in his 22nd season in the NBA, James has shown no signs of slowing down this year.
Co-star Luka Doncic will be relied upon more heavily down the stretch. Doncic has played well for the Lakers since being acquired from the Dallas Mavericks over a month ago but his responsibility levels will go up now.
Los Angeles understands that without James things could be tough but they are ready for the challenge. Guard Austin Reaves spoke on the injury, saying that the team needs to have the next-man-up mentality going forward.
"We've had many situations where a player deals with some type of injury or a trade or whatever it is, and we've done a really good job of bouncing back," Austin Reaves said. "And I don't expect anything else. It's a next-man-up mentality. Not one person's gonna do what LeBron does for us. But you can do it as a collective. And ... hopefully, he gets back out on the court soon."
Los Angeles currently holds the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference standings and they are trying to hold on to a top-four spot at least. Without James, that could be tricky but the team will need others to step up in his absence.
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This story was originally published March 9, 2025 at 11:29 AM.