After going on an eight-game winning streak and climbing all the way up to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers have lost each of their last three games. While the team still owns the No. 4 seed, which would be good enough for homecourt advantage, this is still a discouraging sight for Lakers fans, especially given that LeBron James is still out with an injury.

During the Lakers’ loss to the Boston Celtics last week, James suffered a groin injury. Since suffering the injury, reports have indicated that we will likely be out for one-to-two weeks. While no concrete return date has been announced for James, there is a new report regarding the four-time champion that Lakers fans may have interest in.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James.

Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

James has been inactive for the Lakers’ last two games and is set to miss some more time. Furthermore, ahead of Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that James will travel to Sacramento to attend his son Bryce’s championship game. 

Earlier this year, the younger James committed to the University of Arizona, which is where he will play collegiate basketball in the 2025-26 season. As for the elder James, he is continuing to recover from his groin injury and will be away from the team for a little bit longer.

With less than a month left in the regular season, the Lakers are in a good spot to make some noise in the playoffs, especially since Luka Doncic is finding his rhythm with the team. However, for the Lakers to have any shot at winning a championship this season, they need James to be as healthy as possible. Until he officially makes his return, his injury status is one that Lakers fans will want to closely monitor.