The Lakers entered All-Star Weekend as one of the hottest teams in the NBA, but they face a tough schedule coming out of the break.
If Los Angeles opening its schedule for the final stretch of the regular season with a loss to a surging Golden State team wasn't enough, LeBron James is still dealing with an ankle injury.
James missed the team's final game before the All-Star break and their first game back on Thursday.
This marks James' 21st season, but he is still playing at an All-Star and All-NBA level. He's second on the Lakers in scoring with 24.8 points per game. He also leads the team with 7.8 assists per game and ranks second with an average of 7.2 rebounds.
How long will the Lakers be without James? Here's everything you need to know about his injury.
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What is LeBron James' injury?
The Lakers listed James on the injury report with left ankle peroneal tendinopathy, or inflammation of the tendons along the outer ankle bone.
James said over the weekend that he would use the All-Star break to get extra treatment on his ankle and hinted that he could miss Thursday's game against the Warriors, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
James played 14 minutes in the 2024 All-Star Game, finishing with eight points, four rebounds and three assists.
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How long is LeBron James out?
After missing the Lakers' loss to the Warriors on Thursday, head coach Darvin Ham said "in all likelihood" James will return Friday against the Spurs.
James last played on Feb. 13. He logged 30 minutes in a win over the Pistons and led the Lakers with 25 points and eight assists on 9-for-15 shooting from the field. James was ruled out for the Lakers' next game, which was against the Jazz on the second night of a back-to-back.
James has appeared in 49 of a possible 56 games this season. He has yet to be sidelined for consecutive games.
MORE: Why was LeBron James connected to Warriors at trade deadline?
Lakers schedule 2023-24
Here are the next five games on Los Angeles' schedule:
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| Feb. 23 | vs. Spurs | 10:30 p.m. | — |
| Feb. 25 | at Suns | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Feb. 28 | at Clippers | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Feb. 29 | vs. Wizards | 10:30 p.m. | — |
| March 2 | vs. Nuggets | 8:30 p.m. | ABC |
LeBron James 2023-24 season stats
- 24.8 points per game
- 7.8 assists per game
- 7.2 rebounds per game
- 1.3 steals per game
- 0.6 blocks per game
- 3.2 turnovers per game
- 52.0 percent field goal shooting
- 39.5 percent 3-point shooting
- 74.1 percent free throw shooting
