With six games left for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2018-19 campaign, LeBron James’ season is coming to an end. The team announced in a statement that James will be shut down for the remainder of the year on the heels of the Lakers’ 129-115 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.
According to president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka, the decision to end James’ season prematurely stems from the groin injury that has been bugging him for much of the year. The Lakers cited a desire to “allow his groin to fully heal” as the main reason behind the decision.
“After consulting with our team doctors and medical staff, we have decided to hold LeBron out of games for the remainder of the season.
"This decision will allow his groin to fully heal, and is best for the future success of both LeBron and the Lakers."https://t.co/6Z5DsXMFKt
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 30, 2019
James suffered the groin injury during Los Angeles’ Christmas Day matchup against the Golden State Warriors. It caused him to miss the next 17 games, a time in which the Lakers went from a top-4 seed in the Western Conference to a team in a fight for their postseason lives. Once it became evident Los Angeles would miss the playoffs, a conversation began about limiting James’ minutes and the amount of games he’d play with an eye on the future.
While James’ season is over, he will join Los Angeles for their next two games, a pair of road tilts against the Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans.
