All of Los Angeles is holding its breath.
LeBron James left the Lakers’ game against the Hawks in the second quarter when, in a scramble for a loose ball, Solomon Hill fell into his right leg, rolling his ankle.
Bron appears to turn his ankle, stays in the game and hits a three, then heads to the locker room pic.twitter.com/OdTrDW77o1
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 20, 2021
LeBron was clearly in a lot of pain on the sideline but did not leave the game immediately. He made a three — getting him to 10 points to keep his double-digit scoring streak alive — then checked out and went back to the locker room under his own power, but visibly upset. Soon after, the team announced that LeBron would not return to the game.
LeBron James is out for the remainder of the game with a right ankle injury.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 20, 2021
LeBron was getting an MRI after the game. It’s impossible to know the severity of the injury or how much time LeBron might miss at this point, often with ankle injuries it is the next morning before a clear picture emerges of the severity. However, Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes said recently on the Dunc’d on Podcast that LeBron’s ability to overcome or play through ankle sprains has been legendary in his career.
Re: LeBron: Watching the replay it appears his ankle is forced into eversion, the opposite direction of most “typical” ankle sprains. The ligaments on the medial, or inside, are arranged in a triangle and typically stronger.
— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) March 20, 2021
The Lakers are already without Anthony Davis due to a calf strain, he is expected to miss a couple more weeks at least. If LeBron joins him in street clothes for a while it will be difficult for the Lakers to hold on to the No. 2 seed in the West (where they sat entering the day).
