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Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been playing through a torn tendon in his right foot that could require offseason surgery, according to Shams Charani. James will have his foot re-evaluated in the near future, and if surgery is required, it would sideline him for two months.
James originally injured his foot on Feb. 26 during a regular season game against the Dallas Mavericks. Courtside cameras caught him saying “I heard a shot” while on the floor, and though he played the rest of that game, he missed the Lakers’ next 13 games.
Upon his return on March 26, James revealed that multiple doctors had suggested he needed season-ending surgery at the time, but he found “the LeBron James leg,” which helped him return to the court. He played in every game the rest of the way for the Lakers, helping them make the playoffs as the No. 7 seed, and eventually all the way to the Western Conference Finals.
There, despite James scoring 27.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 10 assists per game, the Lakers were swept by the Denver Nuggets. After Game 4, he admitted he wasn’t at his best with the injury and said he would have an MRI of his foot to determine the next step.
“I knew I could get there,” James said in an interview with ESPN. “Obviously, I knew I had to deal with it and deal with the pain or deal with not being able to be myself before the injury, but there was nothing that made me feel like I couldn’t get there .
“I’m going to get an MRI and see how the tendon is either healed or not healed and go from there.” We’ll see what happens.”
Whether James needs surgery or not, he’ll be ready to start next season — that is, assuming he doesn’t retire. He mentioned the possibility during his Game 4 press conference, although he is expected to continue playing. Charania added Thursday that he doesn’t expect James to retire based on what he’s heard.