LeBron James exited the Los Angeles Lakers’ defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers in the fourth quarter on Wednesday due to a sore left leg.
The four-time NBA Most Valuable Player will be examined by team doctors on Thursday, Lakers coach Darvin Ham said after his team fell 114-101 to the Clippers. Ham added that the ailment was not new.
James left the court with less than six minutes remaining and did not return. He still ended up with a game-high 30 points and had eight rebounds and five assists in 32 minutes.
James, 37, is averaging 24.9 points this season, which would be his lowest rate since his rookie campaign with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003-04. He also is contributing 8.8 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 2022-23.
James missed a game for the first time this season on Monday, sitting out the Lakers’ road loss to the Utah Jazz due to left foot soreness, before returning to action on Wednesday.
An 18-time All-Star, James is a four-time NBA champion, having won the NBA Finals MVP in each of those campaigns.
The Lakers fell to 2-9 with their fourth consecutive loss, leaving them with the second-worst record in the league. Only the Houston Rockets (2-10) are worse.
–Field Level Media