Bad news, James was diagnosed with medial collateral ligament injury, Lakers were eliminated with G5

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was diagnosed with medial collateral ligament injury after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5.

The Minnesota Timberwolves lost 96-103 to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 Wednesday night and missed the playoffs. During the game, LeBron James fell to the ground in pain due to a leg injury. On Friday, reports were reported that the 40-year-old striker suffered a medial collateral ligament injury.

According to ESPN's Dave McMenaming, James was diagnosed with a secondary medial collateral ligament sprain. The good news is that his recovery period is three to five weeks. Therefore, the Lakers star should be able to recover in mid-June.

"ESPN report: According to league sources, LeBron James collided with Donte Divinsonzo in Game 5 on Wednesday, resulting in a second-degree sprain in the medial collateral ligament of the left knee. The injury takes 3-5 weeks to recover."

Despite a knee injury in Game 5, LeBron James still played for 40 minutes. He ended up with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Unfortunately, this is not enough to beat Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves.

The four-time MVP winner ended the 2024-25 season with another wonderful performance. LeBron James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game in the regular season, shooting as high as 51.3% from the field and 37.6% from three-pointers.

With the Lakers season officially ending, it may take some time to evaluate the offseason trends. Luca Doncic's trade offers the Lakers an excellent long-term team-building option, even if James decides to play another season.

After trading Doncic, management tried to trade Dalton Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams.

However, the deal ended up failing. Regardless, improving the center position will remain an option for the Lakers during the offseason, especially if the team can build a team around LeBron James and Luca Doncic for at least another year.