Lakers' LeBron James returns to the lineup

After being ruled out of participation due to the league's covid-19 health and safety protocols, the Lakers' star is good to go.

LeBron James returns

LeBron James has been given the green light to play once again according to a league statement on Thursday. The Lakers' star is set to return to the lineup for the game against the LA Clippers on Friday having briefly been sidelined due to the NBA's health and safety protocols. Previously James was omitted from the roster after it was alleged that he turned in a positive test on Tuesday morning ahead of the Lakers' game against the Kings. James was then flown back to Los Angeles by charter and has since turned in eight consecutive negative tests. At the same time, the league began to implement a stricter testing framework in an effort to monitor any cases that could have developed as a result of players socializing with larger circles of people during the holiday.

What exactly happend with LeBron James

According to a league statement released on Thursday, James did not actually test positive. The NBA went on to describe the sequence of events that led to him being removed from the lineup for the game against the Kings and then subsequently reinstated.

"James was originally placed in the Protocols on Tuesday, November 30 after a series of tests delivered conflicting results, including an initial positive test that was collected on November 29. Additional testing confirmed that he is not a positive case," the statement read. Further to that the league also said, "In accordance with the Protocols, and the consistent testing practice that has been in place since the 2019-20 Season Restart in Orlando, the sample that produced the initial positive test was re-run twice and returned one negative and one positive result on two different PCR instruments. As a result, James underwent additional testing on November 30, with one test returning a negative result and a second test resulting in a clinically inconclusive result."

With regards to the game itself, The Lakers managed to get the better of the Kings without their star as they won 117-92. After the game, teammate Anthony Davis was focused on the positive."He said he's good," Davis said. "I think he's asymptomatic, which is a good sign, but we want to make sure that he gets back. Health is most important. This is bigger than basketball. He has a family. We want to make sure that he's good no matter what."

What's up with LeBron James right now?

On Thursday James absence continued as he was not allowed to practice with the Lakers. According to the league's health and safety protocols there is a mandatory period of isolation during which time he must register two negative tests within a 24-hour window. Interestingly, James took to social media where he posted a photo of dog laying down in the house, peering out the window with the caption, "Mood."

On the season so far James has been averaging 25.8 points, 6.8 assists and 5.2 rebounds which is to say he has been an integral part of the Lakers offense. In late September James revealed that he had been vaccinated.