LeBron James' rare injury puts Los Angeles Lakers in a significant bind
By Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer
The NBA world gasped.
LeBron James' greatest superpower isn't his dazzling passing ability or his unique combination of brute strength and agility or his ability to quarterback the game on both ends of the court.
It's his durability.
The 36-year-old is seemingly unaffected by the passage of time or the nagging bumps and bruises that sideline other players.
The league's best player is also one of its most reliable.
That's why when James collapsed to the court Saturday afternoon, clutching his right ankle, it sent shockwaves through the NBA.
A few hours later, an MRI confirmed everyone's fear: James suffered a high right ankle sprain and will be out indefinitely.
The injury happened at the top of the second quarter, when Atlanta Hawks forward Solomon Hill tried to reach between James' legs to steal the ball. Hill fell into James' right leg, causing his ankle to twist inward unnaturally.
James fell to the ground, grabbed his ankle and screamed.
It stunned his teammates, long before they knew the severity of the injury.
"It just shows you that he was in an extreme amount of pain," Los Angeles Lakers forward Montrezl Harrell said after the Hawks' 99-94 win.
Added L.A. forward Kyle Kuzma: "I haven’t necessarily seen him scream and scowl like that probably ever, even with that groin."
The groin injury Kuzma was referring to happened on Christmas Day 2018 and sidelined James for 17 straight games, dashing the Lakers' chances of making the playoffs.
The fact that James' reaction to this injury was even worse is a bit terrifying for an already hobbled Lakers team trying to win its second straight ring.
It's also infuriating.
Harrell said the injury should've never happened. He didn't think Hill meant any harm but added that the play was reckless.
"We really didn't feel like it was one of those basketball-type plays," Harrell said.
When prodded to elaborate, Harrell described the play as unnecessary and dangerous.
"He had to go through his leg to get the ball, man," Harrell said of Hill. "He was turned sideways. The ball was behind him. I mean, you're jumping at an angle, going across this way. I mean, I don't know how you feel that's a loose ball."
After James suffered the injury, he limped off the court, retied his sneakers during the Lakers' timeout and then returned to the game.
He immediately made a 3-pointer before signaling to the Lakers' bench that he could no longer play. As he walked toward the team's locker room, he knocked over a chair in frustration.
It was a rare sight.
James walking off the court voluntarily? Impossible.
"The King" is in his 18th season in the league and has been inactive for only one of his team's 42 games this season – the final contest before the All-Star Game, which, of course, he played in.
That's a stunning fact considering that James led the Lakers to a championship just five months ago, after a nearly 100-day stay in the NBA bubble in Florida. After that, the Lakers had the shortest offseason in professional sports history, totaling 71 days.
No one would've blamed James if he needed to rest a few games – or 10.
But over and over again, whenever James is asked whether he should play fewer minutes or sit out more games, he scoffs at the notion. Ahead of his 36th birthday on Dec. 30, he jokingly called that conversation a "conspiracy."
James has been an ironman who somehow defies the ravaging effects of aging and not resting. He points to a perfectly crafted combination of working out, meditating and drinking wine and mezcal.
It has been a sublime tincture for James, a four-time MVP, who once again is a front-runner for the award this season. If he wins, he'll be the oldest player to ever receive the honor.
Behind James, the Lakers have the third-best record in the Western Conference, at 28-14. It's a remarkable feat, considering the team has been without superstar forward Anthony Davis (right calf strain and tendinosis) for more than a month.
Heading into Saturday's game, the Lakers had won four straight since the All-Star break. In that period, James had two straight triple-doubles against Golden State and Minnesota before finishing with 37 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a 116-105 win over Charlotte on Thursday.
James was changing the rules of what's possible. He was reframing what an athlete nearing his 40s is capable of accomplishing.
But Saturday, everything changed.
Watching James walk off the court midgame of his own accord clearly showed that this injury was not minor. This time, his pain was not ignorable.
Now the Lakers' championship hopes hang in the balance.
Depending on how severe the sprain is, the Lakers might be without James for a significant chunk of time, worrisome for a team that will now need to work two superstars back into its rotation.
After the game, Lakers coach Frank Vogel was stoic and clipped. There was a somber air about him as he fielded reporters' questions, especially one about James' mood in the locker room.
"I won’t disclose what any mood of LeBron was like internally," Vogel said. "It’s in-house."
But really, nothing needed to be said.
Again: LeBron James walked off the court midgame.
And that spoke volumes.
Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She has previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.
