Report: LeBron James progressing well from groin strain

According to NBA insider Shams Charania of ESPN, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James continues to progress well from a left groin strain. 

LeBron has left the Lakers, who are on the road, and has returned to Los Angeles. 

Lakers’ LeBron James has returned to Los Angeles, per medical recommendation, as he continues to progress well from a groin strain with the team finishing road trip Thursday in Milwaukee and Friday in Denver, league sources tell ESPN.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 12, 2025

LeBron is averaging 25.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists this season for the Lakers while shooting 51.7% from the field, 38.4% from beyond the arc and 77.0% from the free-throw line.  

Los Angeles is in third place in the Western Conference.

Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have to play better than they did against the Brooklyn Nets for the Lakers to win games without LeBron. 

Doncic shot 8-of-26 from the field, while Reaves shot 3-of-14 against the lowly Nets, who beat the Lakers. 

“I think I should have helped more,” Doncic said. “We got to have the same mentality moving forward. Injuries are going to happen and it’s got to be a next-man-up mentality.”

Added Reaves: “I just thought I played incredibly bad. That’s, really, you know, about as much as I can say about that. It’s frustrating not helping your team win. When Bron’s out, I got to be better and I wasn’t. That’s one of the reasons we lost.”

LeBron, the leading scorer in NBA history, is expected to miss one-to-two weeks. He got hurt against the Boston Celtics on March 8. 

The King is happy about one thing, though. He’s glad the Lakers acquired Markieff Morris from the Dallas Mavericks in the Doncic trade. 

“I missed him,” LeBron told NBA reporter Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. “We’ve been in the foxhole together. We’ve been on the floor during big games together. And there’s someone whose opinion I value very much when I come off the floor. He’s watching it. He’s seeing it. I’m just happy to have him back. It’s great to see him.”