James responds to playoff injury for the first time: left knee ligament injury, doctor says he needs to rest for 4 to 6 weeks

After the Lakers lost to the Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs, LeBron James' injury situation attracted attention. Many people think that he has injuries when the game is over. People who don’t like James will say “smart injuries” and those who like it will also maintain it. After all, it is not normal for him to not have any injuries on his body after playing for 22 seasons.

Today, he also detailed the injury process in his program "Brain of the Field" and admitted that it was the "serious knee injury" in his 22-year career. The doctor recommended a 4-6-week rest. James was a little limped when he was walking at a party, and many people expressed doubts!

Injury process: The knee was knocked and deformed, and the pain was unbearable. In the fourth quarter of the fifth game in the first round, James collided with Timberwolves player Donte Divinchenzo when he returned to defense, and had a second-degree sprain in the medial collateral ligament (MCL) on his left knee. He said: "The moment he bumped into it, his knees fell inward like he was stuck. I fell to the ground and wanted to relax, but I had never experienced that kind of pain." Although he insisted on playing the game, he couldn't get out of bed the next day. After the examination, it was confirmed that it was a MCL second-level tear.

Cause of injury: A body collision during return to defense causes knee deformation, which is consistent with the common ligament injuries caused by athletes.

Severity: The first time in James' career, he has been resting for so long due to a knee injury, which means that this injury is indeed very serious.

Doctor diagnoses: 4 to 6 weeks of rest, but the risk still exists

Doctors say that MCL secondary sprain generally requires 4 to 6 weeks of rest. Lakers reporter Mike Bresnahan mentioned that MCL injury recovers faster than the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and there is no need for surgery. It is estimated that training will be restored in early June. However, former NFL team doctor David Chao said that if the tendon is injured, it may take 8 weeks to heal.

In fact, James also had a type of injury. When James' right foot tendon was torn in 2023, the doctor suggested surgery, but he chose conservative treatment and finally returned early. At the age of 38, he missed 11 games due to a groin strain, and now he is 40 years old and his knee is injured, so his body recovery has become slower.

The game with injury caused controversy: Is it a tough guy spirit or too risky?

Although James was able to score after the fifth game, he couldn't get up and couldn't come to bed the next day, which means that the injury was indeed serious. Some fans questioned that he had "walked normally after the game" and his statement of injury, but the doctor explained that he might not feel obvious when he was injured, and the inflammation worsened 24 hours later, and it would be more painful.

In fact, everyone who has been injured knows that sometimes in extreme excitement, you cannot feel the pain for the time being, but the next day the pain spreads all over your body.

But for an NBA superstar full of topics, there are always controversial topics. Those who support him think he has a professional spirit and think that it is the captain who should do when he is injured. Those who don’t like James will think he “made excuses when he lost”, but forget that adrenaline temporarily suppresses the pain when the athlete plays.

He himself also joked that the advantage of going home to fish is that he can have a good rest.

What's more, you are a 40-year-old, and the recovery time will definitely be longer, and you may have to adjust the game plan in the future. He said on the show that he "hope to come back healthy next season" and hinted that he would not retire for the time being.

Injury is the athlete's biggest enemy

This injury is both a physical test and a psychological challenge for James. From a medical point of view, MCL second-degree sprain is not a devastating injury, but with age problems, the recovery effect may be reduced. Fans can only wish this veteran a speedy recovery and continue to create miracles. Just as he said, "I will come back, as before."