LOS ANGELES — LeBron James will not play in the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against Milwaukee on Friday night due to a left ankle injury.
James, 39, will miss his ninth game of the season when the Lakers host the Bucks. Los Angeles is 4-4 without the leading scorer in NBA history.
James “is just feeling severe pain, and we decided not to play him tonight,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said.
James’ ankle bothered him throughout the season, and it forced him to miss every one of the Lakers’ games during the All-Star break. He then limped off the field in pain with about four minutes remaining in Los Angeles’ 130-120 home loss to Sacramento on Wednesday night.
James dismissed the injury after the match, saying it was “just something I was dealing with”.
Ham said the injury was not a major cause for concern for the Lakers, who are struggling to make up significant ground in the Western Conference playoff race despite going 10-5 since the start of the month of February. The Lakers host Minnesota, leader of the West, on Sunday.
“I think it’s due to 21 years of service,” Ham said. “We think it’s an everyday matter and we’re going to treat it as such. See how he feels tomorrow. … Bron does a great job preparing for the fight. This is something you need to be aware of and constantly monitor. This is the reality of a long NBA season and an extremely long career.
James has been on the Lakers’ injury report all season, with the team typically waiting until shortly before the game to announce whether he would play that night. James was ruled out against the Bucks more than four hours before tipoff, suggesting the injury had worsened more significantly.
James was outstanding in his 21st NBA season, averaging 25.3 points, 8.0 assists and 7.1 rebounds per game. He reached 40,000 career points last weekend in a loss to Denver.
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