Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James revealed in March that he tore a tendon in his right foot, an injury that he played through late in the regular season and NBA playoffs. After being eliminated by the Denver Nuggets, surgery is now on the table for James.
Typically, a torn tendon in a foot can take months to heal before someone is cleared to return to full activity. However, in his age-38 season, James only sat out a month before returning to the court to help push Los Angeles into the playoffs.
- LeBron James career stats: 38,652 points, 10,667 rebounds, 10,420 assists, 2,186 steals
Related: NBA executive blasts LeBron James for retirement talk
After being knocked out in the Western Conference Finals by Denver, James acknowledged that he is considering retirement. While some view that as unlikely, part of his rationale is tied to the foot injury that significantly limited him when he returned to the court.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, James will have doctors evaluate his foot in the coming weeks to determine the next step. Surgery is on the table and if he undergoes the procedure, the future Hall of Famer would be sidelined for two months.
While the Lakers anticipate James to fully recover from surgery before training camp, he will also be entering his age-39 season. While he proved capable of playing through the injury, there would be concerns about his explosiveness after surgery that could compel Los Angeles to take a very cautious approach with him next season.
Retiring this offseason remains unlikely, with James still having influence over the Lakers’ front office on offseason moves. However, undergoing foot surgery or any potential setbacks during the recovery process could increase the odds of James walking away from basketball.
Related: LeBron James has ‘known preference’ for Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason target