LeBron James reveals why he cannot attend Met Gala

LeBron James’ load management has officially extended off the court.

The Los Angeles Lakers star James took to his X page on Monday to announce that he would be missing Monday’s annual Met Gala (at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, N.Y.) because of his knee injury. James added though that his wife Savannah would be attending the event to represent the both of them.

“Unfortunately because of my knee injury I sustained at the end of the season I won’t be able to attend the Met Gala in NY tonight as so many people have been asking and congratulating me on!” said James. “Hate to miss an historical event! My beautiful powerful Queen will be there holding the castle down as she always has done!”

James, 40, suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee during the Lakers’ season-ending loss in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves last week. The four-time MVP was hurt when he collided with Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo during the fourth quarter of the contest (video here).

The injury, which only occurred five days ago, reportedly comes with a three-to-five-week recovery timeline. While that does not matter for basketball purposes since the Lakers have been eliminated, it does apparently matter for James’ ability to attend high-profile fashion events.

The Met Gala is one of the biggest celebrity spectacles of the year, during which countless A-listers show up in attention-grabbing outfits. James himself has never attended the event before, but many of his other fellow NBA stars have (often getting roasted online for their choices of attire).