Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee during Wednesday's Game 5 season-ending loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, a source told ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
An MRI taken Thursday revealed the injury, which typically entails a three-to-five week recovery timeline, McMenamin added.
James was hurt in a collision with Donte DiVincenzo early in the fourth quarter.
The 21-time All-Star remained in the game despite the injury. He posted 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals across 40 minutes of action.
Luka Doncic also appeared to suffer a back injury in the loss on a hard foul from DiVincenzo. Doncic exited the second quarter early but was back out to start the second half. He posted a game-high 28 points in the defeat.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves was reportedly battling an injury as well. He played through a toe injury in the final two games of the series that normally would have taken multiple weeks to recover from, according to the Los Angeles Times' Dan Woike.
James, 40, said he is unsure if he will come back for a 23rd NBA season following the disappointing end to this campaign. He averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists in 70 games in 2024-25.
Lakers president Rob Pelinka said he's prepared to build a better roster for next season to meet James' reported high expectations.
L.A. desperately needs some offseason help at center, which was the team's downfall in Game 5. T-Wolves big man Rudy Gobert posted 27 points and grabbed 24 rebounds in the win.
