Feb 20, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots the ball against LA Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr. (5), guard Bennedict Mathurin (9), and forward John Collins (20) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

'He Fought Through a Lot Today' – Los Angeles Lakers Coach Drops Truth Bomb on LeBron James’ Pedestrian Outing Vs. Los Angeles Clippers

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Jordan Samar | Last updated Feb 21, 2026 5:53 AM ET

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick revealed that LeBron James was nursing a knee injury and a migraine during their 125-122 home victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday evening.

The four-time league MVP was initially doubtful to play, but he ended up playing, and the Los Angeles Lakers star finished with 13 points, three rebounds, and 11 assists on 5-for-13 shooting from the field in 33 minutes of action.

“He fought through a lot today,” Redick said of James. “I mean, the knee soreness, he probably doesn’t want me to share, but he was dealing with a migraine as well pregame. Again, he rings the bell over and over. It’s what he does.”

“I mean, it happened at practice yesterday during our scrimmage,” James explained about his knee knock. “Went up for a dunk, came down pretty good, but a couple of minutes into the scrimmage after that, it started getting a little sore and started getting a little tight. And yeah, that’s what happened.”

Los Angeles Lakers News: LeBron James relishes time together with Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic

Last night marked only the 11th time that LeBron James, Austin Reaves , and Luka Doncic played together in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 55 games this campaign due to injuries, and James hopes to have more of these as the regular season winds down.

“Every game, every second, every minute that we’re on the floor together, it helps,” James told reporters via Spectrum SportsNet. “Like I said during the All-Star weekend, we don’t know where we’re gonna be until we’re fully healthy.”

Doncic and Reaves picked up the slack for the Los Angeles Lakers, having combined for 67 points, with the former catching fire from three-point land, knocking down eight three-pointers en route to finishing with 38.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: