LeBron James, one game away from losing eligibility for end-of-season awards in the NBA

LOS ANGELES. – LeBron James is at the limit of absences in the NBA regular season and is only one game away from being ineligible for the end-of-year awards, an unprecedented situation in his historic career of more than two decades.

You may be interested inr:Doncic and Antetokounmpo lead the voting for the NBA All-Star Game

The 41-year-old veteran has gone 17 games without seeing action this season and, if he misses one more game, would not meet the league’s requirement that players play at least 65 of the 82 regular season games to be eligible for individual awards. James missed Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs due to sciatica discomfort, an ailment that also kept him out of the first 14 games of the season. The Lakers forward returned to Los Angeles with the intention of being available for Friday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Throughout his career, LeBron has been selected to an All-NBA team in each of his previous 21 seasons, solidifying himself as one of the most consistent and long-lasting players in league history. The current one is his 23rd campaign, an absolute record in the NBA. Despite physical limitations, James’ performance when he has been on the court has remained at a high level. This season he averages 21.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game, being a key piece in the Lakers’ structure. The evolution of his physical condition in the upcoming matches will be decisive not only for the aspirations of the Los Angeles team, but also to define if the four-time NBA champion keeps alive his streak of eligibility for the league’s main individual awards.