It turns out that Los Angeles Lakers striker LeBron James is not indestructible, after all. During LA’s clash with the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday afternoon, James was forced to leave the game after spraining his ankle during the second half. While trying to catch a lost ball, Hawks ‘striker Solomon Hill fell on top of James’ right ankle and he fell to the ground in pain.
James did not leave the game immediately. In fact, he stayed in the contest and dropped a 3-point ball in the corner before checking out and going back to the locker room. Shortly after James left the contest, it was announced that he would not be returning to the game. Ankle radiographs were negative, but after an MRI scan, James was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain. He will be away indefinitely, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
You can see the piece where the injury occurred below:
Shortly thereafter, it was reported that he would be removed indefinitely, James accessed Twitter to treat the injury.
“Nothing irritates and saddens me more than not being available to and for my teammates! I am hurt inside and out now,” wrote James. “The way back from recovery begins now. I’ll be back soon as if I never left.”
James’ loss in the near future is obviously a major blow to LA. The Lakers are already without All-Star striker Anthony Davis due to a calf strain in his right leg, and they are in the middle of a tight battle to position themselves in the Western Conference postseason. The Lakers are currently in third place in the West, but they are just two games ahead of the Clippers in fourth place and just 2.5 games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers, which is in sixth place.
Without their top two players, it will be difficult for the Lakers to maintain their place in the standings. It is difficult to say exactly how many games James will miss at this point, but it is safe to say that the Lakers will be extremely cautious when it comes to the MVP of the finals. After all, the most important thing for LA is that James is healthy to play in the postseason.