Lakers say LeBron James has tendon injury, out three weeks

LeBron James is expected to miss most of March with an injuredtendon in his right foot, the Los Angeles Lakers said onThursday.

If that timetable holds, the Lakers will have to find a way tostay in the playoff race without the league’s all-time scoringleader.

The Lakers did not disclose the full extent of the injury,saying it was a tendon issue and that he will be “reevaluated inapproximately three weeks.” If James misses three more weeks,starting with Thursday, that would keep him out for at least 10 ofthe Lakers’ final 19 games.

James was hurt in the Lakers’ win at Dallas on Sunday. He hasalready missed two games with the injury, with the Lakers splittingthose contests.

At 30-33, the Lakers are 11th in the Western Conferencestandings, one game from the No. 10 spot — and the last spot in theplay-in round. They’re also just 2 1/2 games back of sixth place,and the final guaranteed playoff spot.

That’s good news, and so is what’s left for the Lakers on theschedule. Only seven of their final 19 games are against teams thatcurrently have records over .500 — with several games against otherteams jostling for position in the West postseason chase. TheLakers start a five-game homestand Friday against Minnesota.

James leads the Lakers in scoring at 29.5 points per game. Hesaid at the All-Star break earlier this month that the team’sclosing stretch this season would be some of the most importantgames he has played — noting he didn’t want to miss the postseasonfor a second consecutive year.

The Lakers are 6-10 without him in the lineup this season, and24-23 in games he has appeared.

If the timetable does not significantly change, this would beonly the third time in James’ 20-year career that he misses atleast 10 consecutive games. He missed a 20-game stretch late in the2020-21 season with an ankle sprain, and a 17-game stretch in the2018-19 season with a groin injury. Those stints both came since hejoined the Lakers; he never had that long of an extended absenceduring his times with Cleveland or Miami.

James has logged nearly 65,000 minutes in regular-season andplayoff games since entering the league — almost 20,000 more thanany other player in that span.