Report: LeBron James ‘severely struggling’ with injury

Dec 9, 2021; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) warms-up prior to the game against the Memphis Grizzles at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James has been dealing with a foot injury for much of the season, and while the Los Angeles Lakers star has played through it, things have apparently been growing more difficult for him.

Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report said on the “#thisleague Uncut” podcast that James has been “severely struggling” with the foot issue, particularly during last Tuesday’s record-breaking performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Haynes added that the injury may be something James has to deal with all season.

"I was told LeBron was severely struggling with that foot injury he has [Tuesday night vs. the Thunder]… It gets to points where it just gets unbearable and he plays through it… The way it's explained to me is that might be something that lingers all season long, but it… pic.twitter.com/Q84RfAi1dX

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 11, 2023

“I was told, that Tuesday game, the record-breaking game, that LeBron was severely struggling with that foot injury he has,” Haynes said. “It’s something that has been nagging him for a few weeks already. It gets to points where it just gets unbearable and he plays through it. People that talked to me said he was really struggling with that foot. The way it’s explained to me is that sometimes it flares up, different sides of his foot, depending on the way that he plants at certain times. The way it’s explained to me is that might be something that lingers all season long, but it reached the dire point.”

However much he was suffering, James still scored 38 points against the Thunder to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time scoring leader. He was held out of Thursday’s game against Milwaukee and has already been ruled out for Saturday’s game against Golden State, though the Lakers cited an ankle injury in both instances.

James has fought through injuries before and will certainly continue battling his way through this one. If it is as bad as this report says, however, he may have to really work to get through the second half of the season.