It’s been a minute since we’ve seen LeBron James appear in a basketball game. The reigning NBA Finals MVP has been on the sideline ever since spraining his ankle against the Atlanta Hawks on March 30, a stretch that has seen him miss 20 games while the Los Angeles Lakers have fought to stay out of the play-in tournament in the Western Conference.
Fortunately for L.A., it appears the King plans to return to his court soon. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that James is going to test out his ankle on Friday night before the Lakers take on the Sacramento Kings, and if he feels good, he’s going to suit up and play. If he does not, however, James’ return is still expected to take place sometime very soon.
ESPN Sources: LeBron James’ return from longest absence of his career — out since March 20 with high-ankle sprain – could come tonight vs. Kings. James plans to test ankle and make a game-time decision. Otherwise, he’s likely to return as soon as Sunday vs. Toronto.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 30, 2021
The Kings, unsurprisingly, seem pretty stoked about the news.
lol
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 30, 2021
Los Angeles has gone 8-12 without James in the lineup, although it is worth mentioning that Anthony Davis was also sidelined until recently — the big man battled a lingering achilles injury for months and has played in each of the last four games. Getting James back is obviously going to be a gigantic boost for the fifth-place Lakers., which sit at 36-26 on the year and is two games up on the Portland Trail Blazers for the seven seed. The team has 10 games left this season before the postseason rolls around.