Lakers’ LeBron James out for Tuesday’s game vs. Thunder with left foot injury

Following their significant 43-point defeat to the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder last week, the Los Angeles Lakers announced that Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves sustained injuries that will sideline them for the rest of the regular season.

Just five days after that loss, the Lakers are set to face the Western Conference-leading Thunder once more, though this time without their star player, LeBron James, on the court.

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LeBron James, currently dealing with a left foot injury, is slated to sit out Tuesday evening’s highly anticipated game in Los Angeles, as confirmed by the Lakers just hours before the game was set to begin.

Dave McMenamin of ESPN revealed that James’s specific ailment is left foot soreness. Despite this setback, the L.A. team has already secured both the Pacific Division championship and a playoff berth. With a 50-28 record, the Lakers stand fourth in the Western Conference, trailing the Denver Nuggets by a mere half-game, over whom they possess a crucial tiebreaker.

The Lakers have just four regular-season contests left on their schedule, including Tuesday’s matchup against the Thunder. This game initiates a stretch of three games in four nights for JJ Redick’s team, which is currently plagued by injuries.

Dončić is currently recovering from a left hamstring strain, with reports indicating the Slovenian sensation is in Europe to receive specialized medical care, hoping to expedite his return from an injury that halted his MVP-worthy season. In his inaugural full season with the Lakers, Dončić has led the league with an average of 33.5 points per game. He had a stellar March, scoring 37.5 points per game that month, but his eligibility for the NBA’s annual awards now hangs in the balance.

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Having fallen just one game short of the NBA’s 65-game requirement for season-end accolades, Dončić’s representatives filed an “Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge,” referencing the two games he sat out for the birth of his second child.

Dončić has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, keeping him off the court for an indefinite period. Concurrently, Reaves is on the road to recovery from a Grade 2 oblique strain, with projections suggesting he will be sidelined for four to six weeks. Similar to Dončić, Reaves has had a standout 2025-26 season, posting averages of 23.3 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.7 rebounds each game.