LeBron James has been one of the most durable superstars in NBA history over the course of his 18 seasons in the league, but he believes his most recent high ankle sprain has taken a lasting toll on his body.
James just endured the longest absence of his career, missing more than a month before returning Friday night against the Sacramento Kings. James had a chance at a game-winner in his comeback game, but the Lakers fell 110-106, their fifth loss in the last six games.
After the loss, James said he put in long hours to get back on the court as quickly as possible, but also shared he doesn’t believe he’ll ever be at 100 percent again.
Via ESPN:
“It’s been urgency for me to get back ever since I got injured. So that’s just who I am,” he said. “You guys could have seen the logging of the minutes and hours per day that I was doing as far as rehab and treatment, it was a lot more than I slept. So over the last six weeks, that’s all I’ve been doing, is having an urgency to get back and play…. I knew I wasn’t going to get back to 100%. It’s impossible. I don’t think I will ever get back to 100% in my career.”
That’s not great news for the Lakers, but even at 90 or 95%, James is still one of the best players on the planet.
[vertical-gallery id=39281]
[mm-video type=video id=01f4hgnjktwxxd1b2pjf playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f4hgnjktwxxd1b2pjf/01f4hgnjktwxxd1b2pjf-1dc6c3447ffc2a2cb9906367206e29b8.jpg]