LeBron James Drops Major Injury Update After Struggling to Get Out of Bed

The Los Angeles Lakers' season ended with a disappointing first-round exit in five games against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was a transitional season after the team decided to acquire Luka Doncic in February, but it is another season of LeBron James' prime down the drain.

James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists this season, the first season since his rookie year where he averaged less than 25 points. That output is bound to continue going down next season as LeBron will set the record for most consecutive seasons played at 23. It might even be his last, given the physical toll of his career.

James' 2025 season ended with a knee injury that prompted him to miss non-basketball events such as the Met Gala. On the latest episode of the 'Mind the Game' podcast with Steve Nash, LeBron shared his first update on the injury with the world.

"In my 22-year career, this is my first knee injury. I've had regular tendonitis, patella, all that stuff, but this is the first time I have had a sustained knee injury where you gotta get off your feet. You gotta be shelved for a minute." 

"I knew when the impact happened between me and DiVincenzo, my knee locked up. That's why I stayed on the ground. If the knee would release a little bit, but I knew right then and there with the pain that I had never felt before... My knee bent inward, and that's the MCL injury I picked up. The doc told me that it would take four to six weeks. I have four to six weeks now." 

"Even if we won Game 5, I would have missed 6 and 7, and even further. I have some time now to get it right and get back to full strength."