The Los Angeles Lakers are playing out the final few games of the regular season as they try to secure the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. JJ Redick and company were blowing out the Houston Rockets on Friday night when their worst fear came to life.
During the third quarter, with the Lakers leading by a wide margin, star forward LeBron James appeared to re-injure his groin. He left the game and has not returned yet.
LeBron left the game after an apparent groin injury 🙏 pic.twitter.com/mTGInMsfc3
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 12, 2025
James was seen stretching his groin out on the bench. This is major cause for concern for the Lakers after James missed multiple weeks back in March with a similar-looking injury. He also may have injured something else as indicated by the wrap on his leg, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
“LeBron James checked out with 7:27 to go in the 3rd Q and hasn’t subbed back in yet,” McMenamin wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “He was favoring his left side — obviously, he’s been dealing with a left groin strain this season. The wrap he was wearing on the bench seemed placed more on his left quad/hip area though.”
While it may seem like the sky is falling for the Lakers here, there are some silver linings. Firstly, Los Angeles had a massive lead thanks to another huge game by Luka Doncic, so James could have been sitting out for precautionary reasons with the game well in hand.
Secondly, James can likely sit on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers if he needs to. Los Angeles is already in a very good position to finish in the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference and likely doesn’t need James to put the finishing touches on the regular season against an overmatched Blazers team.
Finally, James seemed to be in good spirits on the bench despite the apparent injury. While he was favoring that left leg, he was up and moving around a bit and sharing some laughs with his teammates. If James does sit out on Sunday, he will have more than a week off to rest whatever he is dealing with before the Lakers get their playoff run underway.
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