LeBron James is out for the Lakers versus. Bucks due to an ankle injury.
ANGELES — Due to a painful left ankle, LeBron James has been demoted to not play in Friday night’s Los Angeles Lakers game against the Milwaukee Bucks, the team stated.
James, 39, will have missed nine games so far this season.
The 21-year veteran’s ankle has been bothering him for months, so he missed the Lakers’ final game before the All-Star break and their first one following it to receive therapy.
With less than four minutes remaining in the Lakers’ Wednesday loss to the Sacramento Kings, the star player hobbled off the court.
James is having “wear and tear” on the injury, an insider with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.
James stated, “It’s just something I’ve been dealing with,” following the Kings’ defeat.
Even though L.A. has won 10 of its last 15 games, the team has dropped to No. 10 in the Western Conference playoff standings as of Friday, and they have a brutal schedule coming up.
The No. 2 team in the East, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the No. 1 team in the West, Sacramento, the No. 7 team in the West, and the Golden State Warriors, the No. 9 club in the West, will be the opponents of the Lakers in their next four games.
In the games James has missed this season, the Lakers are 4-4.