LeBron James is hoping his ankle injury is not serious after being forced out of the game during the LA Lakers' loss to the Toronto Raptors: "The plan is to see how I feel and go from there... the most important thing for me is to be healthy and be at full strength when it really matters."
Monday 3 May 2021 07:30, UK
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James reinjured his right ankle on Sunday night and his status is unclear for Monday night's game against the visiting Denver Nuggets.
James departed the 121-114 loss to the Toronto Raptors with 6:42 remaining in the contest.
"His ankle is battling some soreness," Los Angeles coach Frank Vogel said afterward. "We decided not to bring him back."
James was playing for the second time since missing 20 games due to the injured ankle. He said it has tightened up on him at half-time in both games.
Vogel and James were both in wait-and-see mode as to whether the star forward could play against Denver.
"The plan is to see how I feel and go from there," James said.
James also was thinking about the big picture.
"The most important thing for me is to be healthy and be at full strength when it really matters," he added.
James recorded 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists against Toronto as the slumping Lakers lost for the sixth time in seven games. They are 0-2 since James returned.
"I think our team is predicated on health," James said. "That is the No 1 thing for our ball club. We need to be healthy and we need to be at full strength."
