LeBron James doesn’t view groin injury as serious, but it’s too soon to set return date

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Lakers forward LeBron James shoots over Celtics forward Sam Hauser Saturday in Boston. James is unsure how long he will be out recovering from a groin injury, but he doesn’t believe it’s as severe as one of his previous injuries. (Mark Stockwell / Associated Press)

As he suspected postgame Saturday night, early indications are LeBron James avoided a serious injury to his left groin muscle, according to a person close to the situation not authorized to discuss it publicly.

James, who left Saturday’s loss to the Boston Celtics in the fourth quarter, said postgame that he didn’t believe the injury to be as serious as the one he suffered in 2018 when he missed more than a month after hearing his groin muscle pop.

As of Sunday morning afternoon, there were no signs that James’ initial assessment, when he said there was “not much concern,” is inaccurate, though even minor groin injuries can take more than a week to heal.

According to people close to the situation, no decision on a timetable has been made other than to monitor the injury on a daily basis. The injury will almost certainly, though, cost him a significant chunk of missed games with the Lakers facing a compressed stretch of schedule during the next two weeks when they play eight times in the next 14 days starting Monday at Brooklyn.

Read more: LeBron James injured in crunch time as Celtics end Lakers’ 8-game winning streak

If James were to return after two weeks, there would be 12 games remaining in the regular season.

James missed 17 games with a groin injury his first season with the Lakers in 2018, and Saturday, he said his mind initially flashed to that point before focusing on Anthony Davis, who was injured in his first game with Dallas last month.

“The first thing that popped into my mind was Christmas Day my first year with the Lakers. … I’ve been there before and I know what type of injury you’re dealing with. Second thing I thought about was AD. It’s crazy. I thought about AD,” James said. “And then I’m over there just trying to see how much mobility and see if I can possibly give it a go. And I came back here and did a couple of…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/lebron-james-doesnt-view-groin-190345532.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2025-03-09 19:03:00

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