LOS ANGELES (AP) – LeBron James injured his right ankle during the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, leaving the court in visible frustration after trying to play through the injury.
James left early in the second quarter, and the team later announced he would not return. The Lakers did not say whether James would have X-rays or an MRI.
The 17-time All-Star was injured when he rolled his right ankle and then made uncomfortable contact with defender Solomon Hill, who was called on for a foul. James falls to the court and shouts and rolls around briefly in obvious pain.
But he got up shortly afterwards and surrendered it during a time-out, closed his shoes and returned to court. The 36-year-old superstar stayed in the game and even hit a 3-corner in the subsequent possession of the Lakers.
Moments later, he called another time-out and took himself out of the game with 10:04 left in the first half. He hit a chair of frustration and overturned it as he stepped off the track behind the Lakers’ basket.
He was immediately taken to the locker room, accompanied by the Lakers’ training staff and Anthony Davis, who has not played since Valentine’s Day due to a right calf injury.
James scored 25.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.0 assists in a leading 18th NBA season for the defending champion Lakers, who despite Davis’ long absence sit second in the NBA rankings.
James ‘inspired play is the biggest reason for Los Angeles’ continued success, with his teammates and observers in the league honoring him for his fifth NBA MVP award. He played the final game of a spectacular week during the Lakers Series with four wins, with a triple-double series ahead of Thursday with 37 points against Charlotte.
James’ 3-point lead gave him ten points against the Hawks, which extended his NBA record of consecutive doubles games to 1,036. The series is by far the longest in NBA history, with Michael Jordan in second place at 866.
In addition to his incredible talent, James has been remarkably enduring in his NBA career. He has never missed more than a handful of games in any season before his first year with the Lakers, when a groin injury left him out for 17 consecutive games.
James missed just one game this season and put out the Lakers’ last game before traveling to Atlanta for the All-Star break.
The Lakers’ next game is Sunday in Phoenix.
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