The Los Angeles Lakers star is out ‘indefinitely’ with a high ankle sprain. The 36-year-old’s legendary drive means he will try to return as soon as possible
Indefinitely. That is the word athletes hate to hear when they have an injury. Usually they just want to know, Can I play through it? Otherwise, when can I be back? Indefinitely is not a good word. On Saturday, LeBron James went down with an ankle injury. The injury is more striking given that he recently voiced his distaste for this month’s All-Star game, which he believed put more wear on some players who had already had a shortened offseason due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nevertheless, he made it through unscathed – or at least until the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. While trying to grab a loose ball, he collided with Hawks forward Solomon Hill. James’s right leg began to roll in, but then his ankle forcibly rolled outward, which can be a recipe for a high ankle sprain.
Related: LA Lakers star LeBron James out indefinitely with high ankle sprain
Jonathan Gelber MD, MS is a surgeon and specialist in sports medicine. He is the author of Tiger Woods’s Back and Tommy John’s Elbow: Injuries and Tragedies That Transformed Careers, Sports, and Society. You can follow him on Twitter @JonathanGelber