It seems that LeBron James, forward of the Los Angeles Lakers, is not indestructible after all. In LA’s clash with the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday afternoon, James had to leave the game and return to the locker room after twisting his ankle during the second quarter. While trying to secure a loose ball, Falcons forward Solomon Hill fell on top of James’ right ankle and James fell to the floor.
James did not participate immediately. In fact, he stayed in the game and knocked a three-pointer off the corner before looking out and going back to locker room. According to ESPN, the Lakers star will have an MRI done to determine the severity of the injury. You can see the events unfold below:
Shortly after James left the game, it was announced that he will not return to the match. The initial diagnosis is an ankle injury on the right side. Clearly, the Lakers will hope the injury is not too serious, as they are already without Anthony Davis’ All-Star forward due to a calf strain in his right leg.
Even if the injury is not extremely serious, there is still a chance that James could miss more action, as the Lakers will want to be extremely careful with their best player. The most important thing for LA is that James is healthy for the post-season game. The Lakers are likely to provide an update on James’ status for their upcoming series of games in the near future – against the Suns on Sunday, Pelicans on Tuesday and 76ers on Thursday.