LeBron James made his first appearance on a basketball court since injuring his right foot.
LA Lakers legend James stepped out in New Orleans during his side's shootaround ahead of their clash with the Pelicans on Tuesday night. He didn't get too active but did shoot a number of free throws to keep his eye in.
James damaged a tendon in his right foot during the Lakers' victory over the Dallas Mavericks on February 26 and had been seen in a moon boot over the past few weeks - leading to fears his season could be over. Those worries are somewhat allied now he ditched the boot, having worn it during the Lakers' game against the New York Knicks on Sunday.
He also posted a tantalising cryptic message to fans on his Instagram. The image, which didn't include a caption, showed a drawing of James in a water-filled tank with wires stuck to his temple and breathing apparatus over his mouth and nose.
Lakers supporters will be even more excited they will see their hero in action again this campaign after ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin posted a video of James getting involved in the session.
He followed up the initial video with a message explaining exactly what James had been getting up to. He wrote: "James lifted and did rehab during Lakers shootaround, per the team. The standstill free throws was the first on-court activity for James since the injury, per the Lakers."
The Lakers are desperate for a hasty James return to save their season. The 17-time NBA champions are in danger of missing out on the playoffs for the second year in a row.
They are ninth in the Western Conference and have a 33-35 record, with a disappointing 112-108 defeat to Knicks further ruining their hopes earlier this week.
James' right-hand man Anthony Davis took the blame for that loss. "My play," Davis said when asked for the reason for the defeat. "I played terrible. Couldn't find my shot: free throws, layups, everything. The guys did their job. I didn't do my job tonight.
"I just missed a lot of shots. I don't think they did anything special. A lot of times one-on-one, they doubled a couple times. But I don't think it was anything that carried over from Toronto."
"It's on everybody," Lakers guard Dennis Schroder said. "When we lose, we lose as a team. When we win, we win as a team. But AD, he tries to be great at all times, and he has been, 90 percent of the time, great for us. ... So, he can't put it on himself."
"That one hurt," D'Angelo Russell added. "That one hurt for us. I think we were battling, we tried to do everything we could. We couldn't get enough rebounds, no stops, didn't make enough shots. It just didn't go our way, I guess."
