It seems that LeBron James, forward of the Los Angeles Lakers, is not indestructible after all. During LA’s clash with the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday afternoon, James had to leave the game after twisting his ankle in 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. Shortly after James left the game, it was announced that he would not return to the game. X-rays on the ankle were negative, but after an MRI, James was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain. He will be cut off indefinitely, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
You can see the play where the injury took place below:
Shortly after it was announced that he would be eliminated indefinitely, James went to Twitter to address the injury.
“Nothing makes me more angry and sad than not being available to and for my teammates! I am hurt inside and out now,” James wrote. “The road back to recovery begins now. I will be back soon, as I never left.”
The loss of James for the foreseeable future is obviously a big blow to LA. The Lakers are already without All-Star forward Anthony Davis due to a calf strain in his right leg, and they are in the middle of a tough battle for the national season in the Western Conference. The Lakers currently sit third in the West, but they are just two games ahead of the fourth-seeded Clippers and just 2.5 games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers, who are in sixth place.
Without their two best players, it will be difficult for the Lakers to retain their place in the standings. It’s hard to say exactly how many games James will miss at this point, but it is safe to say that the Lakers will be extremely careful when it comes to the reigning Final MVP. After all, the most important thing for LA is that James is healthy for the post-season game.