Craig Norton raised eyebrows this week after suggesting on The Craig Carton Show that LeBron James’ recent injury announcement might not be as serious as it seems. The Los Angeles Lakers recently confirmed that LeBron will miss at least three to four weeks with a sciatica issue, but Norton isn’t buying it and he’s not afraid to say so.
“So it comes out yesterday that LeBron James is out for three to four weeks minimum. He’ll miss the start of this NBA season because, yes, sciatica. Sciatica is an old person’s disease: it’s like pain that radiates from your lower back, usually down one of your legs. That’s the stereotypical sciatica. Normally, you hear your grandfather complain about back pain, ‘Oh my God, it goes down the leg,’ and it’s not fun, right?”
“It’s very rare for a well-conditioned athlete in his prime, or even just past his prime, to have sciatica, unless you’re, I suppose, one of these guys that’s a heavy weightlifter using your lower back muscles a lot. That kind of thing. And I’m calling BS on it because I just saw him dancing last week, and that’s not what you do with sciatica.”
“I hate to be that guy, but this seems to be the current norm for LeBron, where he’s not ready to go either into an All-Star break, or to start a season, or during a quote-unquote ‘meaningless’ part of the season, and disappears. Now, I want to be very careful and clear how I say this, because I don’t know what he’s doing or not doing.”
“Would you be surprised at all if we find out that LeBron is on vacation, oh, I don’t know, in Europe, over the course of the next week or two or three to four weeks while he’s not playing basketball in the NBA? Would you be further surprised that when he comes back from that European vacation, if he suddenly is able to run and play basketball like a kid half his age? Would that surprise anybody out there? Of course not.”
“So you’re going down the road that I’m considering, that perhaps it’s not sciatica, and he has lied about injuries before. Remember when he claimed that he wouldn’t have been able to play in Game 6 last year in the playoffs had they not been eliminated because all of a sudden he had some type of MCL sprain, and literally the next day he was dancing? Doing the move with your knees where you can’t do that if you have a sprained MCL.”
“And look, I get it. And if he is doing what I think he might be doing in Europe to guarantee that he’s able to go play 65 games this year and maybe make the playoffs and make your run with Luka and whatnot, as a fan, if I were a Laker fan, I’d support it. I’d support it a hundred percent. I just would rather not be lied to, that’s all. And I’m convinced that’s what this is all about. And I want to be clear, I’m not accusing him of doing it, I’m not saying he is doing it. I’m saying this is what this ruse is all about.”
Norton pointed out that just days before the Lakers listed him as injured, LeBron was seen dancing, laughing, and lifting weights in viral clips online. That line sparked immediate reaction from fans. Norton went on to call LeBron’s diagnosis “suspicious,” saying it’s very rare for a well-conditioned athlete to develop that kind of problem unless there’s heavy back strain from lifting.
To Norton’s credit, he did stop short of directly accusing LeBron of faking the injury.
Still, many felt the tone was disrespectful. LeBron is 40 years old, entering his 23rd NBA season, and still producing elite numbers. Last year, he averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game while playing 70 games, all while being the oldest active player in the league.
To accuse him of “lying” about an injury when his longevity alone is unprecedented rubbed fans the wrong way. LeBron doesn’t need to prove anything. He’s already a billionaire, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, and universally regarded as one of the two greatest players ever.
At this stage, LeBron doesn’t need to play: he chooses to. He continues to compete because of his love for basketball, not for accolades or attention. Whether his absence is precautionary or serious, he’s earned the benefit of the doubt.
And while Craig Norton’s comments may have sparked discussion, the reality is simple, LeBron James has spent over two decades giving everything to the game. If he needs a few weeks off, he’s more than earned it.
