LeBron James Reveals Painful Decision Amid 23rd NBA Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Mar 16, 2026 5:58 PM ET

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a big win on Saturday, taking down the Denver Nuggets, 127-125 in overtime. James played a key role in the win, registering 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and one triple in 40 minutes of action.

The Lakers improved to 42-25 as they kept their hot streak going. L.A. has now won five straight games and eight in its last nine contests. This recent streak has seen them climb the Western Conference standings. As of writing, James and Co. are third in the West, with a 0.5-game advantage over the fourth-seeded Houston Rockets.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first half at Crypto.com Arena.Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

James, however, did not come out of the Nuggets game unscathed. On Monday, the 41-year-old took to social media to share a painful update about an injury he sustained in the win.

James came up with a huge hustle play with under a minute left in regulation. The 22-time All-Star dove for a rebound to keep the possession for his team. Even head coach JJ Redick was left in awe by James’ unexpected move.

“I told him after the game, in 23 years of watching you play in the NBA, and the three years I watched you play in high school, I never saw you make a full-out extension dive like that," admitted the Lakers coach.

Unfortunately, James gashed his leg on the play, causing a deep cut. The four-time NBA champion shared a video via his Instagram story. He also announced his decision not to perform a similar dive this season.

“Might be it for diving for the year! Ouch !! LOL!” he captioned the post.

Safe to say LeBron isn't going to Superman dive on the floor again anytime soon (via @kingjames) pic.twitter.com/NSpEgzdI71
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 16, 2026

As Redick indicated, it’s amazing how James continues to come up with these types of plays now that he’s in his 23rd season in the NBA. The 21-time All-NBA forward suffered the consequences of his hustle play, though.

The Lakers are back in action on Monday. They have a big game coming up against the Rockets on the road, with the No. 3 seed on the line.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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