LeBron James is feared to be out several weeks with a right foot injury, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday.
James is undergoing further testing and conversations to learn the full extent of the injury, which he suffered in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ victory at the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
The Lakers previously announced James will miss Tuesday night’s game at the Memphis Grizzlies with a sore right foot.
James, 38, was walking with a noticeable limp following the Mavs game. He fell to the floor in pain late in the third quarter after driving on Dallas’ Dwight Powell. He told ESPN’s Katie George during an on-court interview after the contest that he thought he stepped on Powell’s foot, causing the discomfort; however, replays showed it was a noncontact injury.
James finished Sunday’s game, scoring 11 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, and L.A. won its third game in a row to pull within a game of the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference, which represents the final play-in spot, and 2½ games behind Dallas for No. 6.
Over All-Star Weekend, James dubbed the final stretch of the Lakers’ season “23 of the most important games” of his career. However, it now appears he will miss a number of those as L.A. tries to get back in the postseason.
James also missed three consecutive games prior to the All-Star break with left foot and ankle soreness. Since he arrived in Los Angeles, the Lakers have gone 36-62 (.367) when James has been sidelined, including 5-9 this season.
In addition, the Lakers announced that starting point guard D’Angelo Russell is doubtful for the Memphis game. Russell missed the Mavs game with a right ankle sprain.
L.A. will finish its three-game trip with the second night of a back-to-back against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday before returning home to host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.