Why LeBron James Can't Really Be 100% Healthy

LeBron James made a surprise appearance at the Drew League on Saturday afternoon and potentially an even more surprising declaration that he is 100% healthy, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. 

While it is great to hear James feels recovered from the litany of injuries that cost him 26 games last season, the Pro Basketball Docs question if it’s a reasonable prospect for James to be 100% healthy going into his 20th season.

LeBron James Injury Update

The three-month break aided by a tumultuous ending to the Lakers season has hopefully given James time to rest the left ankle sprain and left knee soreness that plagued the second half of his season, but these will continue to be issues for the 37-year-old. 

What “100% healthy” looked like for James at 25 or even 35 is different than what he will look like now. 

While missing a third of the 2021-22 season – just enough to disqualify him from the scoring title – James was still remarkably productive on a short-handed roster, scoring 30.3 points with 8.2 rebounds on 37.2 minutes per game. 

But the injury bug has bitten the four-time champion and MVP going back through his entire Lakers tenure. 

James has missed 25-or-more games in three of the last four seasons, well above his previous career-high of 13 in 2014-15 for back and left knee injuries. 

James lost time in the last four years to:

• Christmas 2018 right groin strain

• Late-January 2021 high-ankle sprain

• Early-November 2021 abdominal strain 

• January 2022 left knee soreness

• March 2022 significant left ankle sprain

The Docs are particularly concerned with the left knee soreness that will likely continue to nag the future Hall-of-Famer. 

As Sports Injury Central detailed in February, evidence points to a Baker’s cyst – a pocket of fluid located behind the knee – causing James’ swelling and soreness. A Baker’s cyst is generally caused by a torn meniscus that leaks fluid into the pocket and won’t heal without surgery, which James has yet to undergo. 

This knee issue is concerning not only because it will likely bleed into the 2022-23 season, but also because it’s indicative of the eventuality that hangs over the twilight of his career: James has played over 63,000 minutes across 1,600 games and it is beginning to catch up to him.

James is entering the final year of his Los Angeles contract, is on track to break Kareem Abdul-Jabar's long-standing record for career points sometime late next season, and has maintained his desire to play with his 16-year-old son in the NBA. 

He – miraculously – has a lot left to accomplish, but he will likely be doing it all at under 100%.