Lakers Concede That LeBron James is ‘Pretty Banged Up’

Is LeBron James banged up? The four-time NBA champion missed his first regular-season game before the All-Star game. Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said it was more than a formality.

Yes, LeBron is a superhero. He is the Iron-Man. However, LeBron is dealing with a lot of wear and tear at the moment.

The four-time NBA champion isn’t really worried about his rest. Los Angeles is trying to repeat the success they had in 2021. But, LeBron played more minutes than usual. Anthony Davis is out due to an injury.

“I think this whole narrative of ‘LeBron needs more rest’ or I should take more rest or I should take time here, it’s become a lot bigger than what it actually is,” LeBron told reporters in February. “I’ve never talked about it, I don’t talk about it, I don’t believe in it. We all need more rest, s—. This is a fast turnaround from last season, and we all wish we could have more rest. But I’m here to work, I’m here to punch my clock in and be available to my teammates.”

Frank Vogel said LeBron is pretty banged up right now, particularly with his sore ankle, and they encouraged him to take the opportunity to get treatment and rest tonight. It’s the first game he’s missed all season.

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 4, 2021

Lakers’ LeBron James wouldn’t say he is banged up

LeBron missed games due to load management, but he is dealing with an ankle injury for most of the season.

“We’ve had a mindset to encourage him to take a game off if needed, but to support him if he wants to be in there,” Vogel told reporters. “He’s always said that if his body feels good, he wants to play. He’s pretty banged up right now and particularly soreness in the ankle and so we took this opportunity to keep him home this game.”

LeBron is in the middle of a MVP season. He is averaging 25. Points, 8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists. He was about to win the MVP award, but Joel Embiid outplayed him.

The Lakers superstar is focused on team work at the moment. He doesn’t even think of MVP awards.

“Put it to you like this,” Davis told The Athletic’s Bill Oram. “I know that that man does not care about MVP awards. He cares about championships.

“So if he loses the MVP and wins the championship like he did last year, he doesn’t care. So that’s what his mindset is, he’s not focused on MVPs. He’s focused on Finals MVPs.”

LeBron took part in the All-Star Draft on Thursday as a captain. He even joked that he will not recruit players during the game.