The NBA season has been going well for LeBron James and the Lakers lately, as they’ve been hot since adding Luka Doncic via trade.
Coming into Saturday’s matchup against the Celtics, Los Angeles’ record sat at 40-21 while competing for a top-three seed in the Western Conference. But in the highly anticipated rivalry matchup, the 40-year-old James exited with an injury as the Celtics rolled to a 111-101 victory.
James, who’s rarely dealt with injuries over his long NBA career, didn’t play the final portion of the fourth quarter after heading to the sidelines.
Here’s the latest on James’ injury status.
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LeBron James injury updates
Although the Lakers fell behind vs. Boston, James remained on the floor for a majority of Saturday’s matchup. With under seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter though, Jarred Vanderbilt took his spot in the Lakers’ lineup.
During a timeout, James was seen working with trainers.
Looks like LeBron is testing out his groin here pic.twitter.com/CpaTbb3A7p
— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) March 9, 2025
Not long after, he went back to the locker room, never to return to the contest. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that James had been ruled out with a groin strain.
James has dealt with groin injuries in the past. During the 2018-19 NBA season, his first with the Lakers, the superstar wound up missing an extended period due to a groin ailment, eventually playing in a total of 55 games that season.
It’s unclear exactly when James injured his groin vs. Boston, but here is the moment he called for a timeout to head to the bench:
This is where LeBron limped off after the defensive possession
-He signals to the bench to come out
-Grabs near left groin pic.twitter.com/WWMN7nMlJz— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) March 9, 2025
Not long before being subbed out, James made this play near the rim:
LEBRON SHOWING OFF THE PIVOT GAME 🔥
Part of a 16-2 @Lakers run on ABC! pic.twitter.com/n3jKYSOyqs
— NBA (@NBA) March 9, 2025
How long is LeBron James out?
There hasn’t yet been official word on the extent of James’ groin injury or how long he’ll be sidelined. Yet ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported after Saturday’s game that the initial thought is that James will be out for “a matter of weeks, not days.”
It is too early to project an accurate timetable for how long LeBron James could miss because of his left groin injury, sources told ESPN. However one source said the initial thought is that it will sideline James for a matter of weeks, not a matter of days.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 9, 2025
After the game, James said he’ll take it “day-to-day” and see if the injury gets better. He also compared it to his groin injury in 2018, per McMenamin, noting that he doesn’t believe this ailment is as bad as the previous one.
LeBron’s update on his groin: pic.twitter.com/sGMoRC06Hw
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) March 9, 2025
James’ absence would be a tough blow for the Lakers, who have been on a hot streak as the playoffs inch closer.
Lakers upcoming schedule
Here’s a look at the Lakers’ next 10 games.
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| March 10 | at Nets | 7:30 p.m. | — |
| March 13 | at Bucks | 7:30 p.m. | TNT |
| March 14 | at Nuggets | 9:30 p.m. | NBA TV |
| March 16 | vs. Suns | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| March 17 | vs. Spurs | 10:30 p.m. | — |
| March 19 | vs. Nuggets | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| March 20 | vs. Bucks | 10:30 p.m. | — |
| March 22 | vs. Bulls | 10:30 p.m. | — |
| March 24 | at Magic | 7 p.m. | NBA TV |
| March 26 | at Pacers | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
