The Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James saw their season end abruptly after a Game 5 loss at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It was a series that never felt close, and the Lakers were dominated defensively and were out-physicaled.
Speaking of physicality, one of the main storylines in Game 5 was when LeBron James bumped into Donte DiVincenzo and collapsed to the floor, writhing in pain.
LeBron James limps off the court 💔#LakeShow pic.twitter.com/eWKKZiq8Dm
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) May 1, 2025
Was this a flop or an actual injury?
LeBron James Actually Suffered A Serious Injury
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, James suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee from the collision he had with DiVincenzo.
Story filed to https://t.co/oAsD1rYqjW: LeBron James suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee from his collision with Donte DiVincenzo in Wednesday’s Game 5, a league source told ESPN. The injury entails a 3-5 week recovery timeline.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 2, 2025
This type of injury typically has a 3-5 week recovery timeline, meaning that James would have undoubtedly been done for this series, and potentially for the remainder of the playoffs, even.
While James has become known by many fans around the NBA as a “flopper,” in this instance, he was legitimately injured. Amazingly, he did finish the game, playing a total of 40 minutes and scoring 22 points.
James has played in an NBA-record 292 playoff games without missing one due to injury. Had the Lakers staved off the Wolves and pushed the series to the 6th game, that streak would have most likely come to an end.
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It was an unfortunate end to a season that had a lot of promise heading into the playoffs. The Lakers were the 3-seed and riding a ton of momentum. The Luka Doncic trade appeared to be paying dividends, and the team was getting fully healthy at the right time.
However, they were no match defensively for the Wolves, and did not have the size to compete with them on the glass. Something that former Lakers forward Anthony Davis had begged the front office to address before he was shipped off to Dallas.
LeBron James will have plenty of time to rehab over the summer, and the Lakers will have plenty of time to figure out their next move before the 2025 season begins.