LeBron James is reportedly sidelined indefinitely after suffering a right foot injury during a recent win over the Mavericks.
James was seen on camera saying that he “heard it pop” after he fell to the floor during the second half of the game. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, James “miraculously played through the injury” and he is expected to miss at least two or three weeks.
While playing on the injured foot, cameras caught James chatting with two-time NFL Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, who was sitting courtside at the game, about playing through painful injuries.
(Note: NSFW language in the story below.)
“You not the only one playing with a f****d up ankle”
LeBron to Mahomes 🗣️ (via @blitzfits) pic.twitter.com/HW42Wf7NbP
— Overtime (@overtime) February 28, 2023
Mahomes sprained his ankle during a victory over the Jaguars in the postseason, then reaggravated it during the Super Bowl. Despite these setbacks, he was still able to hoist the Lombardi Trophy after the season concluded.
While the Lakers briefly looked like sleeping giants in the Western Conference, James’ injury could be a nail in the coffin of the 2022-23 campaign for Los Angeles.
It’s unlikely that the 38-year-old James has the same injury recovery trajectory as the 27-year-old Mahomes, but stranger things have happened.
If the underdog Lakers scrap together enough wins down the stretch, maybe a limping James could actually channel some of his inner Mahomes and try his best to give Los Angeles a Kirk Gibson-esque finish to the season.
