LeBron James is not currently with the Los Angeles Lakers.
On Thursday, Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick announced that LeBron James had left the team for “personal reasons,” saying that his departure was an “excused absence.”
“LeBron is not with the team right now,” Redick said after practice according to ESPN.
“He’s out for personal reasons, excused absence,” Redick continued.
James did not play in Sunday’s win over the Portland Trailblazers as he was sidelined with soreness in his foot. It was the first game he missed all season.
Redick did not elaborate on why James was not with the team. However, he went on to say that James is currently “taking some time.”
He was unclear whether or not James will be back for the team’s road matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
James is set to turn 40 years old at the end of the month, and Redick made it clear that the team has to be “cognizant” of how many minutes he plays as a result.
“In game, he’s asked for a sub a couple times because he’s gassed,” Redick said.
“For us, we have to be cognizant as we play more and more games, just the cumulative effect of playing a lot of minutes and Sunday, being banged up with the foot thing, it felt like a good opportunity for him to get some rest,” Redick continued.
We’ll have to see when James decides to return to the team.
[ESPN]
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