LeBron James injury update concerns not just the Lakers but all of the NBA
LeBron James’ injury was just another bump in the road for a terrible postseason campaign from the Lakers, but a huge question remains.
When LeBron James went down in Game 5 of the Los Angeles Lakers’ ultimately fatal postseason performance against the rampant Minnesota Timberwolves, it would have taken a stone-cold viewer not to wince and immediately dip a tentative toe into our oldest friend in sport: the pool of worst-case scenarios.
The 40-year-old NBA legend saw his knee collide with Donte DiVincenzo with 8:39 remaining on the clock, causing James to crash to the floor and hold his injured leg amid screeches of pain.
And now it seems the extent of his injury has been revealed: a league source told ESPN on Friday that an MRI scan showed LeBron had suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee in the fourth quarter of Game 5; the estimated time of recovery sits at anywhere between 3 and 5 weeks.
The injury comes at a time of huge speculation around James’ future, with the player himself recently admitting that he doesn’t know whether or not he will be playing next season.
Can LeBron James ever recover from his injury?
The injury could push him even closer to the edge; while that may sound dramatic, the 4-time NBA champion is into his fourth decade: it’s simply tougher to get back to full fitness as athletes get older, with recurring injuries more of a pertinent issue. If he returns and physical issues persist, is it worth struggling on as the glow fades?
LeBron on future: ‘I don’t know the answer’
“I don’t have an answer to that”, LeBron told reporters when asked about his future, “Something I’ll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens. And just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play.
“I don’t know the answer to that right now, to be honest. So we’ll see... It’s a business. So you don’t know what the roster will look like next year besides the guys that [are] locked into contracts. S---, I got a lot to think about myself. So I don’t know what the roster will look like. I don’t know where I stand right now.”
As for his relationship with the Lakers, ESPN say that James has a player option to return to the Lakers for the 2025-26 season that is worth $52.6 million; he must opt into by June 29 or, failing that, become a free agent.
LeBron James suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee from this collision with Donte DiVincenzo, per @mcten pic.twitter.com/8VYp22gwEm
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) May 2, 2025
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Every cloud has a silver lining, and the Lakers’ elimination means that James has still played in an NBA-record 292 playoff games without missing one because of injury. Whether or not that’s a consolation for Lakers fans, NBA fans and LeBron himself, I doubt it, but the objective is still there for the serial winner.
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