With no chance to reach the NBA Playoffs or NBA Play-In Tournament, the Lakers have decided to end LeBron James' season early.
Los Angeles announced Friday that James will miss the final two games of the 2021-22 regular season because of an ankle injury. The 18-time All-Star had missed five of the Lakers' last six games since suffering a sprained left ankle in a loss to the Pelicans on March 27.
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When will James be back on the floor? And how does his injury impact a highly competitive race for the NBA scoring title?
Why Lakers are shutting down LeBron James
As part of their announcement, the Lakers said James will sit out the remaining games in order to "allow for continued healing" of his left ankle. They didn't offer a specific timeline on when he will be cleared to participate in full contact activities, but he is expected to make a full recovery.
After the March 27 contest against the Pelicans, James told reporters that he didn't want to miss any future games, but he admitted that his ankle felt "horrible."
"I mean, I have no idea how I finished the game, to be honest, after watching that replay," James said. "It's pretty nasty."
Los Angeles was officially eliminated from postseason contention after Tuesday's loss to Phoenix, so there was no benefit to playing a hobbled James down the stretch.
Why LeBron James won't win NBA scoring title
James will finish the regular season with a scoring average of 30.3 points in 56 games, the second-highest mark of his career. Heading into Friday's games, he is second in the NBA in scoring behind only Joel Embiid (30.4).
Unfortunately for James, he will not meet the minimum number of games (58) required to qualify for the league leaders. He could technically still qualify under a loophole that would divide his total points by 58 games, but his scoring average would drop more than a full point. In that scenario, he would fall behind Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo (29.9).
LeBron James 2021-22 stats, highlights
- 30.3 points per game
- 8.2 rebounds per game
- 6.2 assists per game
- 1.3 steals per game
- 1.1 blocks per game
- 3.5 turnovers per game
- 37.2 minutes per game
- 52.4 percent shooting
- 35.9 percent 3-point shooting
- 75.6 percent free throw shooting
