LeBron James opens up about 'first knee injury' of his life and also hints at retirement
The
Los Angeles Lakers
' season wrapped up with a disappointment. And the small losses aside, the biggest regret for the team's loyalists is the fact that another season just went by where LeBron James' prime has gone to waste as he had to move aside after sustaining a knee injury.
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LeBron suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee from his collision with DiVincenzo in Game 5, and during a recent appearance on a podcast, he revealed he hinted at his retirement.
In fact, as per some rumours, James may become a free agent this summer, but retirement is also a possibility. The star has spoken extensively about this decision in recent offseasons, and it appears that the end of his career is approaching.
LeBron James details first knee injury of his life, which made him miss the Met Gala
This season, James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists, and many experts believe that the next season might even be his final. It's no secret that James' 2025 season was cut short due to a knee injury, which even made him skip the Met Gala. On the latest episode of the 'Mind the Game' podcast with Steve Nash, LeBron revealed something surprising.
King James, as he's fondly known as admitted that this is the first knee injury of his life! "In my 22-year career, this is my first knee injury.
I've had regular tendonitis, patella, all that stuff, but this is the first time I have had a sustained knee injury where you gotta get off your feet. You gotta be shelved for a minute," he said.
He further explained, "I knew when the impact happened between me and DiVincenzo, my knee locked up. That's why I stayed on the ground. If the knee would release a little bit, but I knew right then and there with the pain that I had never felt before..
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. My knee bent inward, and that's the MCL injury I picked up. The doc told me that it would take four to six weeks. I have four to six weeks now."
"Even if we won Game 5, I would have missed 6 and 7, and even further. I have some time now to get it right and get back to full strength," he added.
LeBron disclosed that he was prepared to wait until Friday for an MRI after sustaining the injury on Wednesday, but the pain he experienced upon waking on Thursday made him move up the imaging appointment.
LeBron also mentioned retirement during the podcast and shared that he would make this decision with his family after the Lakers' final game of the season.
"I haven't had the conversation with the family yet as far as me going forward or whatever the case may be," the 40-year-old said during Thursday's episode of Mind the Game with Steve Nash (35:25 mark). "But we'll see what happens."
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