When LeBron James injured his leg right after the All-Star break, according to his own confession, multiple doctors underwent surgery to repair what is now known to be a torn tendon in his leg. told me I needed it. He found a top-notch doctor, dubbed “the LeBron James of doctors,” who told him that with treatment he would recover and play a season.
Now he’s making a decision about surgery, but knew it would resume in March.
LeBron will undergo further treatment, which could require surgery, which would leave him out for two months, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.
With that timeline, LeBron wouldn’t miss the start of next season, but he would miss months of offseason training to prepare for his 21st NBA season.
That’s assuming the Nuggets are back after knocking the Lakers out of the playoffs and hinting at retirement in postgame comments. The sense from league officials is that LeBron isn’t actually going to retire — he’s not a championship favorite, he’s got two years and $97 million left on his contract extension, and he’s not going to be his son. It’s not even a dream to play with Bronnie. (or in league with him) on the table. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that people close to LeBron are hopeful that LeBron will return and pursue a two-year contract extension.
But if LeBron is to return for his 39-year-old season, the Lakers will have to find a way to lighten his load. LeBron can bring the Lakers to the occasional 31-point dominance (as he did in Game 4 against the Nuggets), but he can no longer sustain the peak level of play that the 25-year-old has. Anthony Davis is Anthony Davis. That’s why LeBron’s retirement talk felt like a push and a message to Lakers GM Rob Pelinka for help.
Before that, LeBron has to make a decision about possible foot surgery.
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Report: If LeBron James gets foot surgery, he’ll be out two months, first published on NBCSports.com