An MRI on Thursday revealed that Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s series-ending Game 5 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, a league source told ESPN on Friday.
LeBron James To Be Sidelined For 3-5 Weeks
Per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, a Grade 2 MCL sprain involves a three-to-five-week recommended recovery timeline. The injury occurred with 8:39 remaining when Wolves guard Donte DiVincenzo was called for an offensive foul after colliding with James’ left knee in the lane.
James, 40, fell to the court in pain and had to sub out of the game to have his knee examined by his longtime athletic trainer, Mike Mancias. The 21-time All-Star checked back in with 7:23 to go and played the remainder of Los Angeles’ 103-96 loss to the Wolves to end the series.
Luka Doncic had 28 points and nine assists, while James added 22 points for the Lakers, who have now lost in the first round for the second straight postseason despite sending Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in the midseason blockbuster trade for Doncic.
Lakers Have Struggled In The Postseason Since Winning 2020 Title
The Lakers have advanced from the opening round just once in five seasons since their 2020 championship in the Florida bubble. Los Angeles’ Game 5 loss leaves James’ playoff record at 184-108.
“There’s always a mix of disappointment and gratitude,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “Certainly disappointed [because this result is] not something that I ever envisioned with this team, having to go in and talk to them after losing in the first round, but give Minnesota a lot of credit.
“They’re a really good basketball team, and I think our guys played hard enough and did all the right things. “We tried to make it work with what we had, and came up a little short.”
James Has Played In An NBA-Record 292 Consecutive Playoff Games
According to Basketball Reference, LeBron James has played in an NBA-record 292 consecutive playoff games without missing one due to an injury. That streak would have been snapped if the Lakers were playing Game 6 in Minneapolis on Friday night.
More importantly, it remains unclear whether James plans to return for a 23rd NBA season and an eighth campaign with the Lakers. During Wednesday’s postgame news conference, James said he hadn’t made a decision yet. He has until June 29 to exercise a $52.6 million player option for next season.
“You don’t know what the [Lakers] roster will look like next year besides the guys that [are] locked into contracts,” James said. “S—t, I got a lot to think about myself. So I don’t know what the roster will look like. I don’t know where I stand right now.”
In 70 games (all starts) of the 2023-24 season, James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 34.9 minutes per contest while shooting 51.3% from the field, 37.6% from 3-point range, and 78.2% at the foul line.
