Lakers’ LeBron James Out With Covid-19 Safety Protocols

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers announced that superstar forward LeBron James entered the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Currently, LeBron has missed Tuesday night’s 117-92 win over the Kings in Sacramento and is likely to miss at least ten days if he is protocols because of a positive coronavirus test.

While the Lakers only place twice in the first eight days of December, the team also has three games lined up between Dec. 9 and 12. So if James is sidelined for ten days, he will miss a minimum of four games. However, there is always the chance he could return earlier with two negative tests.

So far, the Lakers have not confirmed if James has tested positive or not, but after the game, his teammate Anthony Davis hinted that this could, in fact, be the case.

“He said he’s good,” Davis, who led the team with 25 points on Tuesday, told ESPN. “I think he’s asymptomatic, which is a good sign, but we want to make sure that he gets back. Health is most important. This is bigger than basketball. He has a family. We want to make sure that he’s good no matter what.”

Another teammate, Russell Westbrook, who contributed 23 points with six assists in the win, had plans to call James after the game.

Tuesday’s game was the 12th game that James had missed this season. He missed ten games due to various injuries. He also missed the Lakers’ game against the Knicks earlier this month after being suspended for the first time in his career.

This season, the Lakers are 7-4 with James and 5-7 without him. So far this season, James is averaging 25.8 points, 6.8 assists and 5.2 rebounds in his 19th season.

Article by Mia Perlman