LeBron James is the fundamental pillar for the Los Angeles Lakers to hold a 3-1 lead against the Houston Rockets in the 2026 NBA Playoffs at 41 years old, something never seen before. It becomes even more impressive after the veteran revealed he has been dealing with discomfort from an injury he suffered five years ago, something he only now disclosed, and that raises concern.
James revealed that he had actually been operating at less than 100 percent for the last five years. “My foot and my ankle ain’t been the same since. Ever since that injury, I’ve been fighting uphill to get it back to normal. But it’s been a little blah ever since,” said James, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
LeBron had this injury ever since he was hurt on a play when then Atlanta Hawks forward Solomon Hill collided with his ankle, sending James out of the lineup for a significant chunk of the 2020-21 season.
LeBron’s current form
Now the outlook for LeBron James is different. Yes, this season has been more restricted in terms of minutes, and he has dealt with injuries that have kept him from consistent play with the Lakers.
LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers brings the ball up.
It is worth remembering that during the regular season, there was also the issue of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and James not being healthy at the same time, unlike now in the playoffs, where LeBron is on his own.
In this current series, LeBron has been the soul of the Lakers. And that’s why they lost in game 4, James was coming off one of his worst scoring performances in a playoff game in his storied career. Sunday marked just one of five times James scored 10 or fewer points in an NBA postseason game in 296 career playoff appearances.
The veteran forward had an uneven series in the scoring department with 19 points in Game 1, 28 in Game 2, 29 in Game 3, and then 10 in Game 4, making it clear that age is just a number.
LeBron frustrated by 2020-21 injury
James also spoke on the frustration of suffering the injury amid what had been a promising 2020-21 season for the Los Angeles Lakers as they looked to defend their Bubble title.
“What could have been, for sure. I was playing some of the best basketball of my career up until that point and leading this franchise in the right direction, and then something like that happens, a high ankle sprain, and there’s nothing you can do about that,” he said.
James did not look quite like himself when he returned that year, and the Lakers ended up losing in the playoffs to the eventual Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns in six games.
