The Lakers’ star says the MCL sprain likely would have caused him to miss the rest of the first-round series had the Lakers defeated Minnesota in Game 5.

The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 playoffs in five games. LeBron James averaged 25.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.8 blocks in the series. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury in Game 5 after Donte DiVincenzo crashed into him.

The Los Angeles Lakers' aspirations for a deep playoff run were cut short as they fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 4-1 series defeat during the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Despite boasting two of the best players in Luka Doncic and LeBron James,