According to NBA insider Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James hopes the treatment he had on his left ankle will enable him to finish the season stronger.
LeBron, 39, is dealing with left ankle peroneal tendinopathy. He will not play tomorrow (2/22) against the Golden State Warriors.
“There isn’t a significant concern James will miss extended time but the hope is this treatment will enable him to finish the season stronger, league sources told ESPN,” Windhorst wrote.
LeBron is averaging 24.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists this season for the Lakers while shooting 52.0% from the field, 39.5% from beyond the arc and 74.1% from the free-throw line. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer has 16 double-doubles and three triple-doubles in 49 games.
The Lakers are in ninth place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 30-26. If the season ended today, Los Angeles would be in the play-in tournament for the third time in four years.
Before the 2024 NBA All-Star Game in Indiana, LeBron spoke about his left ankle injury. The four-time MVP played just 14 minutes in the All-Star Game, finishing with eight points, four rebounds and three assists.
“Trying to get my ankle as strong and as back to where I feel confident that I can finish off this last third of the season,” LeBron said. “I won’t be playing the entire game tonight, for sure. I can get out there and run around with the young guys for a little bit and then shut it down at some point to give my body, and my ankle more importantly, another opportunity to rest.”
LeBron can become an unrestricted free agent this offseason if he declines his 2024-25 player option with the Lakers worth $51.4 million. The 20-time All-Star said he’s “happy” being on the Lakers while talking to reporters during All-Star weekend.
“I am a Laker and I’m happy and been very happy being a Laker the last six years and hopefully it stays that way,” LeBron said. “But I don’t have the answer to how long it is or which uniform I’ll be in. Hopefully [it] is with the Lakers. It’s a great organization, so many greats. But we’ll see.”
LeBron joined the Lakers in the summer of 2018. He’s averaging 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.9 assists with Los Angeles.
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