LeBron James will not join the Los Angeles Lakers as they complete their four-game road trip. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, on Wednesday, James returned to Los Angeles following the team’s game against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday. The All-Star forward didn’t play against the Nets after he sustained a groin injury on Saturday against their longtime rivals, the Boston Celtics.
The Lakers will play their first game back on Thursday when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks. The 21-time All-Star will miss his second game since sustaining the groin injury. According to Charania’s post on X (previously Twitter), the medical staff advised him to take a plane back home to recuperate from his injury.
Lakers' LeBron James has returned to Los Angeles, per medical recommendation, as he continues to progress well from a groin strain with the team finishing road trip Thursday in Milwaukee and Friday in Denver, league sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 12, 2025
The Lakers are on a two-game losing skid and have fallen to the third spot in the Western Conference. Without James, the team is focused on getting back in the win column against the Bucks.
NBA News: How long is LeBron James out?
Initial rumors indicate that LeBron James will be out of the squad for a minimum of one to two weeks. The team will still reevaluate him, though, to see if he can get back into the lineup more quickly.
His agent, Rick Paul, appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday. Paul was asked when he thought his client would heal from his injuries, but he was unable to give a preferred date.
“I won’t put a timetable on it, I’ll let LeBron decide what’s to be done there. He has a great trainer and medical staff with the Lakers and Mike Mancias leads that for him. I’ll just be lockstep with those guys,” the CEO of Klutch Sports said.
"LeBron James knows his body better than anybody and he's played a lot of basketball..
When you have this type of injury you have to manage it properly..
I won't put a timetable on when he'll be back"@RichPaul4 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/fE9nGiuUPE
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 11, 2025
LeBron James has “moved on” from the Stephen A. Smith drama
Over the weekend, LeBron James went viral after he approached ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith during their game against the New York Knicks. James confronted Smith for his criticism of his son and Lakers’ rookie, Bronny. While most people still talk about their encounter, his agent said that the four-time champion has moved on from the NBA analyst.
“Yeah, I mean I didn’t think it was much. I think that, as adults, you try to handle things the best way possible and so, I was glad they were able to move on. It’s tough,” Paul said.
“Sometimes you have those things, but we’ve moved on. It was a dust-up and we’ve moved on.”
How do you feel about the situation between LeBron & Stephen A Smith..
"I didn't think it was much & as adults you try to handle things the best way possible..
Sometimes those things happen & we've moved on" ~ @RichPaul4 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/k1x8SpLZAW
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 11, 2025
Smith has continued to discuss their relationship on his program and other people’s shows, while James has moved on from the event.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
