Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is expected to miss at least one to two weeks with a left groin strain, sources informed ESPN’s Shams Charania on Sunday.
LeBron James Sustained His Left Groin Strain When He Pivoted Around Celtics’ Jaylen Brown In The Fourth Quarter
James will wait a couple of days before receiving another evaluation to assess his groin injury. He exited Saturday’s 111-101 road loss to the Boston Celtics with 6:44 remaining in the fourth quarter and did not return.
Per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, James had just scored with 7:05 remaining to pull the Lakers within seven points, down 92-85, after they trailed by as many as 22. The four-time MVP said the injury occurred when he pivoted around Celtics star Jaylen Brown to score in the lane.
Reporting for NBA Countdown on ABC – LeBron James is likely to miss a period of weeks for the Lakers: pic.twitter.com/jy1hNWK3S6
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 9, 2025
During his postgame interview, James downplayed the injury, saying there was “not much concern” and vowed to “go day to day” in treating it. He also missed 17 games during the 2018-19 season after suffering a strained left groin on Christmas Day.
The 22-year veteran recorded 22 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists in 34 minutes of action. He finished 11-of-23 (47.8%) shooting from the field and missed all six 3-point attempts.
“I’ve been there before, and I know what type of injury you’re dealing with,” James said Saturday. “Maybe extended it a little bit too much.”
Lakers Play Six Games Over The Next Eight Days
LeBron James, 40, who has played in 58 of the Lakers’ 62 games through Saturday, is averaging 25 points on 51.7% shooting from the floor and 38.4% from deep, 8.5 assists, and 8.2 rebounds this season.
Los Angeles is entering a demanding stretch of its schedule, playing six games in the next eight days — including two contests apiece against the Denver Nuggets (41-23) and Milwaukee Bucks (36-26).
“We can compete versus anyone in this league,” James said. “So we’ll be fine. We got to continue to build our habits. We’re not where [the Celtics] are, the defending champion. And they’ve been playing basketball together for a long time. And they got a great chemistry and know what they want to do.
“We made an acquisition late in the season, and we’re still trying to build. And we want to get full. … That’s the No. 1 objective for us: How we can get full and get all our guys together and see exactly what we look like.”
Despite losing James for a couple of weeks, the Lakers are still 18-4 in their past 22 games and sit No. 3 in the Western Conference standings, a half-game behind the No. 2-ranked Nuggets.
The Lakers continue their four-game trip at the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.
