LeBron James is upset enough about the prospect of not being available for his team and teammates. It is likely an extra wrinkle of frustration that in addition to being forced from L.A.’s Saturday afternoon loss to Atlanta, LeBron James may have also seen a potentially historic fifth MVP award slip through his fingertips, too.
If any betting houses were taking odds on MVP, those odds have closed now. While Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid and LeBron James have all seemingly taken turns as frontrunners for the award, perhaps the biggest feather in LeBron’s cap was his consistency and availability. Prior to Saturday’s injury, James had only missed one game of the Lakers season. Now he stands to miss several games with a high ankle sprain, the severity of which is still to be determined through an MRI.
Nothing angers and saddens me more than not being available to and for my teammates! I’m hurt inside and out right now. 🤦🏾♂️. The road back from recovery begins now. Back soon like I never left. #ThekidfromAKRON🤴🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 21, 2021
High ankle sprains are notoriously difficult to return from, even if we are talking about LeBron James. James has done nothing but defy his age (HE’S 36!) this season but if he is out for even a couple of weeks, he could lose serious ground in the restructured MVP race to active contenders like Portland’s Damian Lillard, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Brooklyn’s James Harden.
If James is out for an extended period of time, and the Lakers fall in the standings as many suspect they will without James and Anthony Davis, the MVP will almost surely go to someone else.
