LeBron James Explains Early Exit From Lakers-Kings Game Due to Injury

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is dealing with a troublesome ankle.

A concerning scene played out for the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, as star forward LeBron James departed late in the fourth quarter of the team’s 130–120 loss to the visiting Sacramento Kings.

Fortunately for the Lakers, it doesn’t appear as if James’s injury is serious, as his trip to the locker room stemmed from a lingering injury to his left ankle.

James told reporters after ward that his left ankle has been an issue for months and that it flared up late in Wednesday’s game.

The bad news is that James doesn’t sound optimistic about the injury getting much better during the season’s final stretch. “Each game is different,” James said when discussing how the injured ankle impacts him. “Some games is better than others. I didn’t feel it at all (Monday night) versus OKC, and I didn’t feel it at all until the fourth quarter tonight. So each game is different,” James told reporters, per Lakers Nation’s Ryan Ward.

James recorded team highs with 31 points and 13 assists in 36 minutes Wednesday. De’Aaron Fox scored a game-high 44 for the victorious Kings.

LeBron James scored a team-high 31 points in 36 minutes Wednesday despite dealing with a troublesome ankle / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

A source told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that James’s injury is likely due to “wear and tear” suffered over the course of his 21-season pro career. 

The loss to the Kings marked Los Angeles’s second defeat in three games, dropping them to 34-30 on the season. The uphill climb to potentially move out of play-in position for the postseason continues to look more daunting as the days go on.

The Lakers sit in the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference and are now three full games behind of the No. 6-seed Phoenix Suns.