Explaining LeBron James’ adductor injury and return to play process

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James grimaced after a turnaround jumper in the lane vs. the Los Angeles Clippers in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night, appearing to grab at the inside of his leg, near the groin area.

James left the court with a slight limp and could be seen on camera in the Crypto.com Arena tunnel explaining the issue to his long-time trainer Mike Mancias.

During his postgame interview, LeBron didn’t seem to be overly concerned about the issue but did say he would undergo imaging the following day. Subsequently, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham gave an update on the injury the following day, and the team announced James would miss at least Friday’s game vs. the Sacramento Kings.

In the following video, I explained the update, return timeline, return to play process and how roster construction may have played a role:

Obviously no injury or discomfort is ideal — particularly with how badly the team is struggling — but this could have been much worse for James. Of course he will continue to be monitored and assessed on a daily basis and that will dictate his return timeline. At the least, it may give LeBron some time to nurse the foot soreness that he’s been dealing with, an issue that he said only time can help with.

As always, I’ll keep you updated as we learn more.

Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT has a doctorate in physical therapy from Northern Arizona University, and runs his own in-person and online sports medicine and performance business, 3CB Performance, in West LA and Valencia, CA and partners with Quantum Performance in which he further combines his movement expertise and fitness training background to cater to elite athletes. He also works at a hospital — giving him experience with patients in the immediate healthcare setting and neurological patients (post stroke, post brain injury) — and has been practicing for 4 years. Brar is additionally training at UCLA’s mindful awareness research center (MARC), has a background in youth basketball coaching and analyzes the Lakers from a medical and skills perspective for Silver Screen and Roll and on his own YouTube Channel. You can follow him on Twitter at @3cbPerformance.