LOS ANGELES – LeBron James left the Lakers game against the Atlanta Hawks in the first half of Saturday after Solomon Hill collided with James’ right ankle.
James, 36, fell over a chair in frustration as he headed to the locker room.
Hill was called up for a 10:50 foul in the second quarter when the Hawks striker fell on James’ right ankle while trying to steal the ball.
James immediately cried out in pain and left the field, grabbing his right leg. The Lakers called time-out to check on the 18-year-old veteran, with several teammates, coaches and medical staff members crossing the court to surround James while he was on the ground.
James was able to stand alone and limped back on the bench where he re-tied his sneakers and stayed in the game after the timeout.
In the Lakers’ first possession outside of stoppage time, James hit a 3 from the corner, raising his statistical line to 10 points on the 3-on-6 shot, keeping his streak of 1,036 straight games intact, including Saturday. , with 10 points or more.
LA called another time shortly after and James finally came out of the game with 10:04 left in the second quarter, with the Lakers behind 34-30.
Shortly afterwards, the team announced that it would not return.
The Lakers will play the return leg of a chain against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.
Arriving on Saturday, James averaged 25.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.0 assists and played in every game except one of the Lakers this season, keeping his name in the MVP conversation.