LeBron James Shares Injury Update After Clippers Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ayomide Adeduyite | Last updated Feb 21, 2026 10:10 AM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers opened the second half of the 2025-26 season with a tough, competitive 125-122 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. The win improved the Lakers to 34-21 in the Western Conference with 27 games remaining.

In the Lakers' first game since the All-Star break, Luka Doncic led the charge with 38 points and 11 assists, while Austin Reaves scored 29 points in his first outing without a minutes restriction, helping the Purple and Gold hold off a late Clippers rally.

LeBron James, initially listed as questionable with knee soreness hours before tipoff, ended up suiting up and contributing across 33 minutes. He finished with 13 points and 11 assists in the tight victory. It was just the 11th time the Lakers’ trio played together this season.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23).© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

After the game, James detailed how the knee issue began.

“It happened at practice yesterday during our scrimmage. I went up for a dunk, came down pretty good. A couple minutes into the scrimmage after that, it started getting a little soreness and started getting a little tight. Yeah, that’s what happened,” he explained.

"When we're sharing the ball, moving the ball, and when we have 25+ assists in a game, we are a pretty good team."

LeBron James (13 PTS, 11 AST, 3 REB) discusses playing through multiple injuries, the difference-makers in tonight's win, and getting more reps in with Luka and AR. pic.twitter.com/Su5tMQt1DH
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 21, 2026

Head coach JJ Redick added that James battled through the knee soreness and a migraine during the game, per The Athletic’s Dan Woike.

This season has already seen James battle multiple physical issues. He missed the first 14 games with sciatica and has managed ongoing lower-body soreness while balancing minutes carefully. Across 37 appearances this year, he has averaged 21.7 points, 7.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds. His consistent excellence was recognized with a record 22nd All-Star selection earlier this season.

The Lakers will host the Boston Celtics on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock), and it remains to be seen if James will be cleared to play. He missed the first meeting with Boston back in December, a 126-105 loss, with Doncic and Reaves also ruled out of that matchup due to injuries.

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

More must-reads: