An injury during an exhibition event is the worst-case scenario for any player, and that just happened to be the fate of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James during the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night.
The NBA announced James wouldn’t return for the second half after suffering a right hand contusion.
The 19-time All-Star sustained the ailment when trying to block a layup attempt of Pascal Siakam in the first half. As James raised up to swat away the shot, his ring and pink finger awkwardly hit the rim.
It just seemed like a precautionary measure for James to exit, but his hand probably wasn’t feeling great, either. Lakers fans will most likely be able to breathe a sigh of relief since James came out to be recognized for breaking the NBA’s all-time scoring mark at the end of halftime alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone.
James played 14 minutes of the exhibition event, netting 13 points on 6-for-11 shooting while also dishing out four assists.
With James’ departure, the two captains of the respective sides were no longer playing in the marquee contest. Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who made a gaffe selecting his team prior to the game, played just two minutes due to a sprained wrist he suffered in Thursday’s win over the Chicago Bulls.
