LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball as Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks defends in the second half at American Airlines Center on February 26, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. The Lakers won 111-108. Ron Jenkins/Getty Images/AFP
LeBron James will miss the Los Angeles Lakers’ Tuesday matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to right foot soreness, and there is concern he could be sidelined for weeks, according to multiple media reports.
The Athletic reported that James would seek multiple medical opinions to determine his status.
James scored 26 points in the Lakers’ 111-108 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, but he twisted his right foot when he stepped on an opponent’s foot in the third quarter. He was able to finish the game but was clearly still in pain afterward.
“It’s been better,” he said of his injury postgame. “But I definitely wasn’t going to go to the locker room and not finish the game out. Just understood the importance of the game …
“We’ll monitor it the next couple days, see how it feels and go from there.”
The 19-time All-Star is averaging 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 47 games this season.
Even with two big wins — over Dallas and the Golden State Warriors — coming out of the break, Los Angeles began the week in 12th place in the West. That was a game out of the final playoff play-in spot and 2 1/2 out of a top-six landing with just 21 games remaining.
At the All-Star break, James called the Lakers’ stretch run “23 of the most important (regular-season) games” of his career.