Some new information has surfaced about when LeBron James might return to the court, but the Los Angeles Lakers star says we should not believe any of it.
The Lakers announced on Thursday that James is on a “gradual basketball movement progression.” The team said there is no specific timeline for LeBron to return.
Following the Lakers’ announcement, several top NBA insiders including Adrian Wojnarowski, Shams Charania and Chris Haynes all reported the same thing, which is that there is optimism James will return for the final few games of the regular season.
The information was so widely reported that it seemed like it came directly from LeBron’s camp, but the four-time NBA champion claims it did not. LeBron said on Twitter that there is no target date for his return and that he can “speak for myself.”
There wasn’t an evaluation today and there hasn’t been any target date for my return. I’m just working around the clock, every day(3X a day) to give myself to best chance of coming back full strength whenever that is. God bless y’all sources. I speak for myself!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 23, 2023
“There wasn’t an evaluation today and there hasn’t been any target date for my return. I’m just working around the clock, every day (3X a day) to give myself to best chance of coming back full strength whenever that is. God bless y’all sources. I speak for myself!” James wrote.
LeBron has been out since he injured his foot on Feb. 26. The Lakers entered Thursday with a record of 36-37 and clinging to the 10th spot in the Western Conference. They have a half-game lead over both the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans.
It is possible that LeBron wants to temper expectations, but he knows the Lakers need him down the stretch. Even head coach Darvin Ham recently offered an optimistic update about James’ recovery.
