Lakers forward LeBron James was forced to quit Tuesday's game against Golden State midway through the third quarter with a groin injury.
The NBA icon said that he "felt a pop" in his left groin after his leg slipped; he then departed to the locker room. "[Golden State Warriors'] Draymond [Green] got his hand on the ball, and when he got the loose ball I just over-extended my groin I guess. I felt it coming down the court and I just over-extended it again back on defense. It was just an unfortunate play," said James, who is slated to have an MRI scan on Wednesday.
LeBron left the game early with a left groin injury and told Lakers trainers that he "felt a pop." 🙏 pic.twitter.com/1tH9n8Of9l
— Sports ON Tap (@SONTHighlights) 26 декабря 2018 г.
His younger teammates went on to regroup and outshoot the Warriors 127-101, and some fans even suggested that his injury could be part of his plan to show that his team can do well without him.
LeBron building a lead then faking an injury to let his young team build confidence by beating the world champs
— Tony Clements (@TonyClementsTC) 26 декабря 2018 г.
Chess, not checkers pic.twitter.com/EY9N8FlslU
LeBron faking an injury to prove Lakers can beat the Warriors without him >>>
— Rev. Eric Dunn (@ericvdunn) 26 декабря 2018 г.
The last time James missed a game was on 12 April 2017; he has since featured in 156 straight games, including in the regular season and post-season — the greatest mystery in sports?
Very surprised LeBron appears to have a groin pull. Most durable superstar ever. This kind of injury just doesn't happen to him.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) 26 декабря 2018 г.
The greatest mystery or run of luck in sports history is that Lebron has never suffered any kind of injury…
— Patrick Connor (@pcon34) 26 декабря 2018 г.
Lebron James might have had his first real injury of his career. Think about that. Most durable athlete I’ve seen.
— Teeeem Grubbs (@Kingscrubs) 26 декабря 2018 г.
LeBron, 33, a four-time NBA MVP and a three-time NBA Finals MVP, played for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003-2010 before he left for the Miami Hit. He came back to the Cavs in 2014, and eventually became the club's all-time best in terms of games played, as well as the leading scorer, with 23,119 points (over 12,000 more than the second-best Ilgauskas). He moved to the Los Angeles Lakers in July as a free agent on a four-year $153.3 million deal.
During his 15-year career, he made nine appearances in the NBA Finals, including the past eight Eastern Conference championship rounds. The NBA's all-time career playoff leader in points, steals and minutes played, LeBron James is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest basketball players in history.
