Lakers' LeBron James Exits Game With Apparent Injury vs Jazz

James Brizuela | Feb 11, 2025

Feb 10, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) drives past Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

UPDATE:

LeBron James has returned from the locker room and has rejoined his teammates on the bench.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has exited the game against the Utah Jazz after suffering what appears to be a core injury.

LeBron James left the court to go to the tunnel, appearing to stretch out his lower core after taking a charge and getting up in some pain. Waiting on word from the Lakers if it will affect his availability the rest of the night.

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 11, 2025

James took a charge and got up clearly wincing from the pain. He spoke to trainer Mike Mancias for a brief moment and then headed right back to the locker room.

More news: Best Reactions From Luka Doncic First Bucket With Lakers

James was apparently holding his abdoment foillowing the charge.

James has played 29 minutes thus far in the game, bringing in 24 points. He is 10-for17 on field goal attempts, 3-for-7 on 3-point attempts, and 1-for-2 on free throw attempts.

James has also secured seven rebounds, eight assits, and one steal.

The Lakers' game against the Jazz is one of the biggest of the season, as it is the debut of superstar Luka Doncic. Doncic was brought along slowly due to his calf strain, but debuted on Monday night.

Read more: Watch Luka Doncic First Basket as Member of Lakers

The internet went wild when Doncic came down with his first bucket as a member of the Lakers. The basket was a step-back 3-pointer, which was joined by massive cheers in the stadium.

Due to his injury, Doncic is being kept on a minutes restriction. During the telecast, it was revealed that he would be kept to 30 minutes.

Doncic has 14 points through 24 minutes, going 5-for-14 in field goal attempts, 1-for-7 in 3-point attempts, and 3-for-3 free throws.

Doncic and James have combined for 38 points in what is a lopsided affair in favor of the Lakers. Considering Doncic is on a minutes restriction and James could be hurt, both might now be shut down for the night.

The hope is that James did not suffer anything major, despite what appeared to be a significant injury.

James got up and was clearly in a lot of pain. The good news is he returned to the bench following a quick visit to the locker room.

The Lakers are unlikely to put James back in considering the team is 30 points ahead, at the time of this writing. It would be horrible if the Doncic and James connection were to be put on pause following their first game together.

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