Lakers News: LeBron James Knew Warriors Employee Intentionally Had Him ‘Take The Long Route’ To Locker Room After Groin Injury
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

In his first game against the Golden State Warriors as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James had 17 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists in 21 minutes. Unfortunately, James suffered a groin injury after slipping in third quarter.

As the 33-year-old tried to stretch out his groin area during a timeout, he walked gingerly to the locker room and was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Following the 127-101 Christmas Day win, James shared a Warriors arena worker was not particularly sympathetic about his injury or the path he should take to the locker room, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports:

“Yeah, [an arena worker] told me to go that way. They made me take the long route,” James told Yahoo Sports while laughing. “I know what they were doing.”

After playing the Warriors in four consecutive NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers, it is not surprising there is animosity or gamesmanship. While the Warriors won three out of the four matchups, the title James claimed was in dramatic fashion as the Cavaliers came back from a 3-1 series deficit at Oracle Arena.

With there being a chance the Lakers and Warriors could play against each other in the playoffs, the immediate focus is on James’ recovery. Although an MRI confirmed a groin strain and not a tear, he is reportedly expected to miss ‘several’ games, which could impact the Lakers’ chances in the competitive Western Conference.

Reminder: Vivid Seats is the Official Ticket Reseller of LakersNation.com. New Customers use “LAKERSNATION” (all CAPS) in the Vivid Seats App on your phone and get 10% off any Lakers home game ticket order for the remainder of the season.

You May Also Like

Lakers News: Nick Minnerath Gets Invite To Lakers Training Camp

The Lakers have invited another wing to training camp, this time it’s…

Lakers News: GM Rob Pelinka Identifies Team As ‘Young, Scrappy and Hungry’

The Los Angeles Lakers made a series of moves consistent with their grand vision for the franchise, departing with difficult…

Lakers Rumors: L.A. To Relocate Training Camp To Santa Barbara?

With the Los Angeles Lakers finalizing deals and inking contracts now that summer is coming to a close, the attention has drastically started to shift towards training camp for the 2016-17 NBA season…

Lakers vs. 76ers Game Preview: Lakers Look To Win Two In A Row

The Lakers finally got back on the winning track on Wednesday when…