NEW YORK (AP) — LeBron James is experiencing what coach Darvin Ham said is “really significant soreness” in his left foot and will be evaluated Tuesday to see if he can play against the New York Knicks.
James is missing the Lakers’ game against Brooklyn on Monday night. Ham said the All-Star forward will be checked “first thing in the morning” to see if the injury has improved.
James played 44 minutes Saturday night in Boston in a game that went to overtime. The referees later acknowledged missing a foul on his drive to the basket at the end of regulation. The Lakers then announced Sunday that James and Anthony Davis would be out Monday.
James is 117 points from passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s career scoring leader. He hasn’t played at Madison Square Garden, one of his favorite arenas, since Jan. 22, 2020.
Ham said it was planned all along that Davis wouldn’t play both nights of the back-to-back after returning recently from a foot injury.