LeBron James reportedly on track to play Saturday despite groin injury
LeBron James re-aggravated his groin injury during his team’s loss to the Clippers on Christmas Day, and there has been talk that the Lakers want him to sit out as long as he needs in order to fully recover. Apparently that will not be very long.
LeBron will travel with the Lakers to Portland for their game against the Blazers this weekend, and Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that he is on track to play Saturday night. James received treatment on Thursday and is said to be feeling well enough to play.
LeBron was dealing with the groin ailment and a pulled muscle in his rib area when he missed last Sunday’s game against the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers ended up losing, 128-104. Even with the Lakers having lost four consecutive games, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported this week that several members of the organization have approached LeBron and urged him to sit out as long as he needs.
Those who have followed LeBron’s career should not be surprised he does not want to miss time. The 55 games he played in last year were the fewest in a single season for his career, and James has been notoriously outspoken about load management. If he’s capable of playing through an injury, he typically does.
