Despite his overall brilliant play in the Western Conference Finals, LeBron James reportedly wasn't playing at full strength in the Nuggets' sweep of the Lakers.
James admitted after Game 4 that his torn tendon from earlier in the season was still affecting his play through each of the Lakers' 17 postseason games. That includes the conference finals, where he averaged 27.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 10 assists per game in the sweep by the Nuggets.
LeBron on Monday said he was going to get an MRI in the offseason to evaluate the damage to his foot. But Shams Charania of the Athletic, appearing on the Thursday episode of "The Pat McAfee Show," reported the damage to LeBron's foot was worse than indicated.
Per Charania, LeBron played the last two months of the season with a torn tendon in his foot:
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LeBron's injury is an issue in itself, though it takes on greater importance considering the 38-year-old star has indicated he may be mulling retirement. (he also played through an ankle injury in Game 2 of the conference finals). Whether he decides to surgically repair his foot remains to be seen, but the next steps in his recovery will be of great interest to Lakers fans and the NBA at large.
Here's everything you need to know about LeBron's injury, his recovery timeline and more:
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What is LeBron James' foot injury?
Though the Lakers never specified what James' injury was — calling it only a "right foot tendon injury" — he specified on March 26 that he tore a tendon in his foot. He did not say how bad the tear was.
That said, James declined to surgically repair his foot, an option that would have effectively kept him from the remainder of the season. Instead, he went to "the LeBron James of feet" to address his injury and return in time to play the final 17 games of the Lakers' season.
James, speaking with ESPN on Monday, said he not only dealt with the pain of his injury throughout the playoffs, but also that it affected his play:
"I'm going to get an MRI on it and see how the tendon either healed or not healed and go from there. We'll see what happens."
"I knew I could get to the finish line," James said. "Obviously, I knew I had to deal with it and deal with the pain or deal with not being able to be myself before the injury, but there was nothing that made me feel like I couldn't get to the finish line."
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When did LeBron James get injured?
James initially got hurt in a 111-108 victory vs. the Mavericks on Feb. 26. Though he was seen on the court saying "I heard it pop," he refused to exit the game, finishing with 26 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
He was later seen limping through the tunnel following the victory, but said he never considered leaving.
“It’s been better," he said at the time. "But I definitely wasn’t going to the locker room and not finish the game. The importance of this game and then the momentum that we had, I felt like we could steal one after being down."
LeBron James injury timeline
Feb. 26: James tears a tendon in his right foot in a 111-108 victory over the Mavericks. He does not leave the game.
Feb. 27: James is ruled out indefinitely with his foot injury, causing him to drop an F-bomb on social media.
March 26: A month after initially injuring his foot, James returns in time to help lead a playoff push; the Lakers have gone 8-5 without him in the lineup.
March 26: James says avoided surgical repair thanks to "the LeBron James of feet."
May 22: The Lakers' season ends after getting swept by the Nuggets; James says "I got to think about it" when discussing his potential retirement.
May 23: James says his torn tendon affected his play throughout the NBA playoffs.
May 25: Charania reports James played through a torn tendon throughout the NBA postseason.