The Lakers are hosting the Knicks tonight at the Crypto.com Arena without LeBron James available for action in consecutive games for the first time since missing the first 14 games of the season. During the game, ESPN’s Mallika Andrews dove into why the 41-year-old veteran superstar was not available tonight.
“LeBron James has been ruled out of this competition as he deals with a left elbow contusion and left-foot arthritis. This is something that he’s been dealing with throughout the season, and he did his warmups as usual,” said Andrews on the sidelines.
“He arrived; he was the first player at the arena at 7:45 this morning. Then he was out on the court, doing his pregame routine by 8:45, and he looked pretty good. But he didn’t respond, particularly the left foot, how the Lakers staff were hoping he would, and about an hour before tip, he was ruled out of this game.”
“I am told it was more of the foot again than the elbow, and this is something that is going to be day-to-day moving forward,” Andrews further added, clarifying that the elbow injury James suffered against the Nuggets is not the primary reason he is sidelined tonight.
The 41-year-old star is currently averaging 21.4 points, 7.0 assists, and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 50.4% from the field and 31.3% from beyond the arc. The Lakers will need someone else to step up as a third option tonight behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
James seemed to expect to play tonight when he arrived at the arena, but the Lakers’ medical staff made the call for him. Therefore, Rui Hachimura took his spot in the starting five against the Knicks tonight.
LeBron James Takes A Subtle Shot At Stephen A. Smith With Knicks Game Outfit
Tonight, when James was not in action against the Knicks, he wore the Lakers’ gear instead of any eye-catching outfit that he tends to wear when not playing. His devoted fans noticed that, and it still went viral, seemingly as a shot at Stephen A. Smith.
LeBron is sticking it to Stephen A with his fit 🤣
I’ve never seen him wear Lakers gear when out 👀 pic.twitter.com/goS6v13yHJ
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) March 8, 2026
Recently, Stephen A. Smith addressed Pat Riley’s comments about urging coaches to wear suits on the sidelines. Smith took a jab at LeBron James in the process of addressing Riley’s words, saying that, considering LeBron James is a billionaire, he should dress better on the sidelines.
“People will say he’s walking in like he’s one of the players, and I said, ‘No, totally false, I’m not on their level. I’m walking in like I’m the best-dressed in the arena. That’s what I was walking in like. I said the players needed to take notes, and now, here we are this year, and I’m still telling the players they need to take notes.”
“All that damn money LeBron and them making, you can’t dress better than that?” said Smith on ESPN’s First Take.
“I’m so happy Pat Riley brought that up. He got a statue outside of the arena, and he’s letting everybody know there should be a dress code, at least for the coaches. All this money y’all make, dressing like y’all shopping at Target or something.”
Smith has publicly admitted several times that they do not like each other. Perhaps, James felt tonight was the perfect opportunity to remind Stephen A. Smith how insignificant his words are to the Lakers star.
