Injured Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James will not play for the rest of this nearly completed season, now that his team has been eliminated from playoff contention, the club said Friday.
"LeBron James’ left ankle was recently reevaluated by Lakers medical staff, and it was determined that due to the ankle sprain James suffered in a game on March 27th, he will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 NBA season to allow for continued healing and an expected full recovery," according to a Lakers statement.
The Lakers are in 11th place in the Western Conference at 31-49 and have been mathematically eliminated from making the playoffs.
They have two games left this season, at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday and at the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.
The Lakers have been one of the NBA's biggest disappointments this season having just won the championship in 2020. Oddsmakers had pegged the Lakers as the No. 2 favorite to win the 2022 title, with only the near-equally disappointing Brooklyn Net as the top choice.
James will finish the season having played in 56 of the team's 82 games, scoring 30.3 points per contest.
Anthony Davis, the team's second-leading scorer at 23.2 points per game, has also been plagued by injuries and has played in just 40 games.
