NBA fans probably need not panic over LeBron James’ condition.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar suffered just a slight strain of his left groin Tuesday during his team’s Christmas Day win over the Golden State Warriors, Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes reported following the game, citing sources.
Yahoo Sources: An initial exam on LeBron James reveals all is intact and that it’s a slight groin strain. It could have been worse.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) December 26, 2018
James pulled the muscle during the third quarter when he dove after a loose ball. He tried to stretch out the affected area immediately afterward on but returned to the Lakers bench before ultimately heading for the team’s locker room at Oracle Arena.
LeBron said he "felt a pop" before heading back to the locker room for further evaluation. (via @mcten) pic.twitter.com/ZjCmuGbx86
— ESPN (@espn) December 26, 2018
The 33-year-old will undergo an MRI on Wednesday to determine the exact extent of the groin strain but he believes he has avoided serious injury.
“… With me with injuries, I’m never too concerned about them,” he told reporters after the game, per The Associated Press’ Janie McCauley. “I was able to walk off on my own power. I felt a pop, see if I could stretch it a few times, see if it would relieve but it didn’t.”
James hasn’t missed a game since the end of the 2016-17 regular season, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll play Thursday against the Sacramento Kings or his 156-game streak of appearances will end.
