The Lakers secured a much-needed win on Sunday after erasing a 27-point deficit to defeat the Mavericks 111–108 on the road. But the bigger story coming out of the matchup centered around the health of LeBron James, who appeared to suffer a foot injury late in the game.
James appeared to sustain the injury while attempting a layup with 3:16 left in the third quarter. After his attempt fell short, James immediately fell to the floor and seemed to be in noticeable pain while grabbing his right foot. At one point, the legendary forward was seen telling a few teammates, “I heard it pop,” as he lay on the ground.
Shockingly, the initially grim scene didn’t result in James’s exit from the game as he would stay in the contest and help lead the Lakers to the big win. After the game, coach Darvin Ham provided an update on the injury and sounded optimistic about the outlook of James’s condition before noting he’ll be evaluated in the coming days.
“He’s good,” Ham told reporters. “Our medical people are looking at him right now, he’ll get reevaluated again in the morning.” Ham also told reporters he did not hear James say something popped “at all.”
When asked about the injury, James said his foot “has been better” and noted there was no way the ailment would keep him out of the game, via Southern California News Group’s Kyle Goon. Additionally, James relayed a similar message as Ham regarding his status, saying he will continue to monitor his foot as the week progresses.
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James was later seen leaving the American Airlines Arena without a walking boot but sported a noticeable limp as he made his way down the hallway.
As a player who has been on the injury report with either “left ankle soreness” or “left foot soreness” for much of the season, James has continued to display his battle-tested resilience, though it’s worth noting his latest ailment occurred in his right foot.
While the extent of James’s foot injury remains unknown at this time, the Lakers superstar has already been previously linked to a notable foot issue this season. Earlier this month, TNT’s Chris Haynes reported James was “severely struggling” with a foot injury the night he broke the NBA scoring record, and noted the ailment could linger “all season long.”
For now, though, all James and the Lakers (29–32) can do is continue to focus on keeping their season alive after moving from 13th to 11th place in the West. James finished Sunday’s win—the largest comeback victory in the NBA this season—with 26 points, eight rebounds and three assists while Anthony Davis led all scorers with 30 points to go with 15 boards, four assists and three blocks.
