LeBron James will prioritize his health over the Lakers' seeding / News - Basketnews.com

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James stated that he will prioritize his own health rather than the seeding of his team at the end of the regular season.

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As the end of the NBA regular season approaches, the race for the play-in and the playoffs heats up. Among the teams desperate to make it to the post-season are the Los Angeles Lakers and the team's superstar, LeBron James.

LeBron James

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Although the team from California has been moving up a gear for the last few games, James stated to ESPN that the team's seeding, its ultimate position at the end of the regular season, is not as important as his own personal health.

"I got to be smart with it. If I'm not healthy, or [anywhere] close to being healthy, then it's not good for our ballclub anyway. It's not good for me," explained the star forward.

The all-time highest scorer of the NBA sat out the Lakers' 128-124 win over the Milwaukee Bucks but made important appearances in wins over the Indiana Pacers on March 25 and the Memphis Grizzlies on March 28.

James explained that his decision to rest for the Bucks game was because he does not believe in focusing on the short run if that would potentially mean risking long-run gains.

"I mean, I would've probably tried to play yesterday [in Milwaukee] if that was the case."

In the same article, James further elaborated on his decision-making mechanism when it comes to resting or playing the games down the last stretch of the regular season.

"Just be very strategic. Obviously, understanding and seeing how my ankle and my foot is feeling. But just being very smart about it, obviously," the forward explained. "We are where we are, but our health has always been the most important for our ballclub."

Not just one individual. But for me looking out for myself when it comes to injury and knowing my foot and knowing my ankle and how it reacts, and how it's been over the last couple of years, it's just always keeping a hefty eye on it," James concluded, tying his health with the performance of the team.

At the time of the publication of this article, the Lakers are in the 9th spot in the Western Conference with 41 wins and 32 losses. As usual, James has been the main driving force behind the team, averaging 25.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.1 assists this season.

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