Star Los Angeles Lakers player LeBron James will miss several NBA games due to a positive COVID-19 test.
James missed Tuesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings because of the test and will probably miss several more.
James apparently entered the NBA health and safety protocols on Tuesday morning.
“Obviously, it’s a huge loss,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said before the game on Tuesday. “It’s disappointing. We just want the best for him right now. That’s where our thoughts are. And we have a next man up mindset.”
LeBron’s teammate Anthony Davis said he talked to LeBron and that “he said he’s good.”
“I think he’s asymptomatic, which is a good sign, but we want to make sure that he gets back,” Davis said. “Health is most important. This is bigger than basketball. He has a family. We want to make sure that he’s good no matter what.”
The famous player and Space Jam 2 star is fully vaccinated and asymptomatic, meaning he’s not experiencing any COVID symptoms but can still infect others. Infections that affect vaccinated people are called breakthrough cases and are typically mild, if they feel symptoms at all.
LeBron said that he was initially reluctant to get the vaccine but changed his mind.
“I know that I was very skeptical about it all,” he said back when he got the jab. “But after doing my research and things of that nature, I felt like it was best suited, not only for me but for my family and my friends. And that’s why I decided to do it.”
The Lakers ended up winning the game on Tuesday, and Vogel said substitutions and injuries are typical over the course of an NBA season.
“It’s an 82-game season,” Vogel said. “You’re going to have to deal with guys going in and out of the lineup. We’ve been without him some already this season. I feel like we’re further along with our cohesiveness now than we were the first time he went out with his ab strain. And we got to come in and compete and get a W tonight.”
