LeBron James’s agent, Rich Paul, is urging caution regarding his client’s groin injury. The Los Angeles Lakers star, who suffered the strain during the team’s 111-101 defeat to the Boston Celtics on Saturday, is expected to be out for one to two weeks. Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, Paul emphasized that James has a deeper understanding of his body than anyone trying to set a specific timeline for his return. However, Paul also stressed that it will be crucial for James to manage the injury “properly.”
Paul mentioned, “You have to manage it carefully. You see the reports out there, and you can notice LeBron’s postgame comments. He understands his body better than anyone else, so we need to follow his lead. But, let’s not forget, he’s played a lot of basketball.” He also emphasized that, with the older players dealing with such injuries, it’s crucial to manage them well.
Paul later clarified that he wouldn’t set a specific timeline for when James might return.
James, on the other hand, took a more positive stance regarding his recovery, contrary to the reports after Saturday’s game. “I’m not overly concerned,” James said after the loss to the Celtics. “I’m taking it day by day, and I’ll assess it daily to see if it improves, taking the right steps to move forward.” He also noted that this groin issue isn’t as severe as his 2018 injury, when he missed 17 games due to a groin strain on Christmas Day.
James, 40, is averaging 25.0 points, 8.5 assists, and 8.2 rebounds while shooting 38.4% from three-point range across 58 games this season. The Lakers (40-23) are ranked third in the Western Conference and have upcoming games against the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets on Thursday and Friday.