The star player for the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James, will not play against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.
James’ ankle issue has caused the team to downgrade him from doubtful to out. Without James, the Lakers’ slim hope of winning a championship this year vanishes totally. The club has barely changed from the group that advanced to the Western Conference Finals the previous year, going just 39-32 overall and finishing ninth in the conference.
With a team-high average of 25.4 points per game and 8.1 assists, the 39-year-old wonder is having another incredible season. He also pulls down 7.2 rebounds per game and shoots 53.0 percent from the floor.
LeBron James’s season so far
It’s to be expected that James has battled ailments throughout his later years, but he’s been relatively healthy this season, playing in 62 games. Before Tuesday, he had made appearances in six straight games. On March 8, he missed another game against the Bucks, but this time the Lakers prevailed 123-122. In that defeat, Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 34 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists. He told media,
“I’ll be all right,”
“It’s just my ankle. It’s just what I’ve been dealing with before the [All-Star] break, after the break. I’m just managing it the best way I can.”
“Some games are better than others,” “I didn’t feel it at all against OKC [on Monday]. And I didn’t feel it at all until the fourth quarter tonight. So, each game, each day is different.”
These kinds of injuries are common in the later parts of an NBA season, and as the wear and tear of a lengthy career sets in, recovering from them can take longer for older players. Still, James has managed to deftly avoid the inevitable drawbacks of aging.