During Miami’s win over the Suns on Tuesday night, Heat fans sat through an anxious moment after Grant Hill set a vicious screen (can screens be vicious?) on LeBron James. LeBron had his head down and never saw the pick coming, and at the last second he looked up and his head smashed into Hill’s shoulder. After the play, both players went down but LeBron was unable to get up. He sat on the floor clutching his head, and after a few minutes he was able to get up and walk off with the help of his teammates and coaches.
Those who watched the play wondered if LeBron suffered a concussion or some other sort of head injury. After the game, King James assured reporters that tough guys don’t get concussions.
“I’ve never had one of those hits since I’ve had on pads and a helmet. I don’t know exactly what happened,” James said according to ESPN’s Heat Index. “I had a steal coming and the next thing I know, I was on the floor.
LeBron was then asked how he was feeling and he said he had a “little headache” and had been better, but he was alright. When someone asked him if he had ever suffered a concussion before, LeBron made a wise crack.
“No, I’m too tough for that,” he jokingly replied.
I’m sure LeBron was kidding, but there are plenty of people who won’t find it funny. The issue of head injuries in sports is one that has become increasingly serious as the years pass, and I’m sure someone like Troy Aikman — whose career was cut short by concussions — would have something to say about LeBron being “too tough” to suffer a concussion. Probably not the smartest thing he could have said, even if he was still a little woozy from the collision.
H/T Ball Don’t Lie
