When LeBron James' injury to his groin in the 2018-19 NBA season derailed the LA Lakers’ season

LeBron James' injury history has been relatively quiet given his long career. James was an iron man for the first 15 years of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.

However, the past five seasons in LA, age has caught up with him and injuries have started to pile up. James suffered his first major injury to his groin in the 2018-2019 season, which derailed the Lakers' season. Here’s what happened:

In 2018-2019, the LA Lakers had not yet traded for star forward Anthony Davis. However, LeBron James and the young Lakers team still got off to an impressive 20-14 start to the season. Unfortunately for James, he strained his groin on December 25, 2018, in a win over the Warriors and everything went downhill from there.

LeBron James' injury initially kept him out for 17 games as he did not return until January 31, 2019. The Lakers went 6-11 without him. However, even when James returned, he was limited by his injury as far as his movement on the court. He was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the season on March 31, 2019.

In total LeBron James' injury kept him out for 27 games that season. After the Lakers' 20-14 start, they finished the season with a 17-31 record. This gave them a final record of just 37-45 which was good enough for just the 10th seed in the Western Conference. This caused James to miss the playoffs for the first time since his second season in the NBA with the Cavs.

Luckily for Lakers fans, James recovered in the following season. James spoke about his recovery and how he was able to move better:

"Playing with a torn groin last year, even when I came back it was still partially torn, it was difficult to be able to move and shift like I'm capable of doing that defensively. For me, I just take the challenge. I love being challenged. Coach Frank Vogel challenged me, AD challenged me, I challenged myself.

"I put a lot of hard work into my offseason by getting my quick twitch, getting my bounce back, getting my speed back, my reaction time back. My mind has always been there. That's what it's all about."

James would go on to win his first championship with the Lakers that season alongside newly-acquired co-star Anthony Davis.

LeBron James' injury against the LA Clippers on Wednesday night

LA Lakers superstar forward LeBron James

The LA Lakers may have to face a prolonged stretch without LeBron James this season now too. During Wednesday night’s 114-101 loss to the LA Clippers, James landed awkwardly after attempting a shot in the fourth quarter.

He immediately grabbed at his groin area which led to flashbacks of 2018 for some Lakers fans. James left the game due to left leg soreness. This comes after he had missed Monday night’s game against the Utah Jazz due to foot soreness.

James discussed the injury postgame and said he’s going to get test results tomorrow to confirm the diagnosis:

“We’ll get pictures on it tomorrow and go from there. Didn’t do anything strenuous on the play. When I landed, I felt a little spasm or strain in my groin. Immediately I asked to come out on the next play down."

The Lakers are currently 2-9 and 14th in the Western Conference. If LeBron James’ injury causes him to miss extended time, the Lakers' playoff hopes could be in big trouble. Considering that James turns 38 next month, the Lakers will need to be cautious with him.

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