LeBron James Out For “Extended Time” Amid Lakers Playoff Push

In what was supposed to be “the most important weeks” of his career, LeBron James is set to watch from the bench. According to The Athletics’ Shams Charania, the King will miss the next few weeks due to a foot injury.

LeBron sustained the injury in the third quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers comeback win over the Dallas Mavericks. He played through it, finishing the night with 26 points and eight rebounds before limping out of the American Airlines Center.

The extent of the injury is currently unclear. The Lakers are seeking multiple opinions to better understand how to rehabilitate James.

LeBron took to Instagram shortly after the news broke:

With how good the Lakers have looked since the trade deadline, LeBron’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time. On Monday, they were one game behind the tenth-placed New Orleans Pelicans for the final play-in spot and only two games behind the sixth-placed Mavericks. LA was quickly becoming a favorite to make the playoffs. Since the news broke about James’s injury, their odds of making the playoffs are off the board.

The Lakers will face the Grizzlies in Memphis on Tuesday and are nine-point underdogs, with Anthony Davis, and D’Angelo Russell expected to be game-time decisions.