LeBron James has managed to stay mostly healthy in his 22nd NBA season, but the Los Angeles Lakers star is now dealing with a foot injury.
ESPN's Shams Charania and Dave McMenamin reported Thursday that James is "unlikely" to take the court for Friday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"It would give James, who missed Sunday's game with foot soreness, eight days in between games if he returns Sunday against Memphis," they wrote.
James played the first 23 games of the season without any ailments but was sidelined for the Lakers' most recent matchup against the Portland Trailblazers because of left foot soreness.
James enjoyed his healthiest season since arriving in Los Angeles last year when he played 71 games, averaging 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game.
James, who will turn 40 in late December, has continued to defeat Father Time this year. He's putting up 23 points, eight rebounds and 9.1 assists per game and has remained a focal point of the Lakers roster despite his age.
His co-star, Anthony Davis, has been in MVP form this season, averaging 27.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, two blocks and 1.3 steals per game.
Though James and Davis have each played well this year, the Lakers have struggled as of late. Under first-time head coach J.J. Redick, they started the season 10-4 but then lost seven of their last 10 games to plummet to 13-11.
With James now set to miss some time, Los Angeles will rely on Davis even more while also counting on solid production from role players like Austin Reaves, D'Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura.