The Los Angeles Lakers watched a massive scare unfold Thursday. LeBron James went down hard in a crushing collision against the Golden State Warriors.
The four-time NBA champion sprinted inside the paint on offense. Jonathan Kuminga got in his way. James pushed off from Kuminga awkwardly — and grimaced on the floor in pain. The moment took place during the first half.
LeBron James went down after this collision with Jonathan Kuminga.
He appears to be okay and has since returned to the game
pic.twitter.com/KKxQ3d4noe
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 4, 2025
The 40-year-old spent a lengthy time on the Crypto Arena floor. Even pounding his open left hand on the floor. Play got stopped momentarily during the first quarter. Multiple trainers and even Lakers teammates immediately attended to him.
James already entered the game as a question mark. Then he appeared to hit his abdomen. He eventually returned to action after the scary moment.
LeBron James battling injury-riddled 2024-25 with Lakers
The injury bug hit James this late in the season.
The perennial NBA All-Star dealt with a recent groin injury. He missed a couple of weeks with the left groin strain. He’s limited to 64 total games for the Lakers.
James hadn’t scored a point at the time of his collision with Kuminga. He played 10 total minutes while grabbing one rebound and dishing two assists.
He eventually returned to the bench following the undisclosed injury. Many inside the arena believed James simply got the wind knocked out of him. But he managed to avoid missing the rest of the night.
Golden State, meanwhile, took a 28-24 lead in the first half. Shooting guard Brandin Podziemski scored nine points to lead the way through the first 18 minutes of play. Kuminga delivered six early points for the Warriors. Steph Curry added four points for GSW early.
Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler hadn’t scored yet in the second. Both played 12 total minutes before the eight minute mark of the second.
The traditional Western Conference rivals entered the arena with massive playoff implications. The Lakers have the No. 3 seed on lock with the regular season nearing its conclusion. Golden State isn’t far behind, though, at fifth and only two games back.
The post LeBron James goes down after taking crushing hit in Lakers vs. Warriors contest appeared first on ClutchPoints.
