01 March 2023 , 13:46
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Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James suffered a serious injury on Sunday night but battled through the pain to finish the game, and it just so happened that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was there in attendance.
James went down in the third quarter and proceeded to clutch his right foot, before he was heard shouting "I heard it pop" when hitting the deck. However, James re-entered the court and continued to play, before sharing a hilarious moment with Mahomes on the sidelines.
Back in January, a similar incident happened to Mahomes, as he went to the locker room during a play-off clash against the Jacksonville Jaguars before coming back to see out the victory. James saw the two-time Super Bowl winner standing courtside, and couldn't help compare their experiences.
The ball went out of play near where Mahomes was standing on Sunday night, and James couldn't help but make a comedic reference to his fellow sporting superstar. "You know what it's like playing with a f***** ankle, huh?" James said to Mahomes.
The pair began laughing, although James quickly switched back into game mode as the match restarted. Just like with Mahomes back then, James is set to be reassessed as the extent of the injury is worse than initially feared.
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James is expected to miss at least two weeks as he rests his right foot, which was a similar diagnosis to the one that Mahomes recieved, even though he proceeded to play on anyway. But due to the differences in schedules between the NBA and the NFL, this one is set to hurt James a lot more.
Mahomes became injured during the play-offs in January, but after beating the Jaguars, he rested for almost the entire week before going back out to beat the Cincinnati Bengals and reach the Super Bowl. He then had a further two weeks to rest it, and even though he still wasn't 100 percent, he inspired a stunning victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, scooping up his second career Super Bowl and earning MVP in the process.
The Lakers on the other hand have 20 games left of their regular season, and with games coming thick and fast, James is set to miss a lot of basketball. The Lakers need to step up in his absence to have any chance of getting into the play-offs, but it's not got off to the best start.
After enjoying a three-game winning streak, they were thrashed 121-109 by the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, as they played their first game without James. The Grizzlies are flying this season though, so the real test could be on Wednesday night as they face Oklahoma City Thunder.