Lakers’ LeBron James Out Against Bucks

NBA legend LeBron James will not play against the Milwaukee Bucks. 

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is dealing with a left ankle injury. 

BREAKING: LeBron James (ankle) is OUT tonight against the Bucks

— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) March 8, 2024

According to NBA reporter Dave McMenamin of ESPN, LeBron’s left ankle pain is being caused by “wear and tear.” The 39-year-old limped off the court and into the locker room in the waning minutes of the Lakers’ 130-120 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday (3/6).

“I’ll be all right,” LeBron said after the Kings game. “It’s just my ankle. It’s just what I’ve been dealing with before the [All-Star] break, after the break. I’m just managing it the best way I can.”

LeBron played 36 minutes against the Kings. The NBA icon finished with 31 points, five rebounds and 13 assists while shooting 10-of-16 from the field, 1-of-4 from beyond the arc and 10-of-10 from the free-throw line. 

The Lakers blew a 19-point lead to the Kings and lost a critical game. LAL dropped to 10th place in the Western Conference standings.

“I played the whole third, sat a little bit to start the fourth, and when I got back in, it kind of just — whatever,” LeBron said. “It’s just something I’ve been dealing with. … Some games are better than others. I didn’t feel it at all against OKC [on Monday]. And I didn’t feel it at all until the fourth quarter tonight. So, each game, each day is different.”

LeBron is averaging 25.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 8.0 assists on the season while shooting 52.8% from the floor, 40.5% from 3 and 74.1% from the foul line. 

“Malik Monk came in, made a big impact. Davion Mitchell made a big impact,” LeBron said about the Kings beating the Lakers. “And they changed the game. It was a complete 180. That was the game right there from one quarter to the next.”