LOS ANGELES – LeBron James left the Lakers game against the Atlanta Hawks in the first half on Saturday after Solomon Hill collided with James’ right ankle.
James, 36, was frustrated on his way to the locker room.
Hill was charged with a 10:50 offense in the second quarter when the Falcons ‘forward fell on James’ right ankle as he tried to steal the ball.
James immediately screams from pain and rolls off the court and holds his right leg. The Lakers requested a time-out to investigate the 18-year-old veteran, with several teammates, coaches and members of the medical staff pulling through the court to surround James while he was on the floor.
James was able to stand on his own and limp back to the bench where he handed out his sneakers and stayed in the match after retiring.
On the first possession of the Lakers out of time, James hit a 3 from the corner and raised his stat line to 10 points with 3-for-6 shooting, and he left his line intact from 1,036 live games – including Saturday – score points or more.
LA called another timeout shortly thereafter and James missed the game for good with 10:04 left in the second quarter, with the Lakers trailing 34-30.
The team announced shortly thereafter that he would not return.
The Lakers play next Sunday on the second leg of a rugby game against the Phoenix Suns.
At the start of Saturday, James averaged 25.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.0 assists and played all but one game in the Lakers this season. He kept his name at the top of the MVP conversation.