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“LeBron James Don’t Get Hurt”: Paul Pierce Recalls the Time King James Recovered from Rolling His Ankle in 10 Seconds to Posterize a Player

Advait Jajodia
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"LeBron James Don't Get Hurt": Paul Pierce Recalls the Time King James Recovered from Rolling His Ankle in 10 Seconds to Posterize a Player

Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and the rest of the crew at KG Certified organized a watch-along show for the In-Season Tournament Finals. At one point during the broadcast of the Indiana Pacers-Los Angeles Lakers matchup, LeBron James took a tumble. With Garnett exclaiming that the “man’s down”, Pierce was quick enough to give his former teammate a reality check about LBJ’s insane durability.

Pierce has played a total of 69 games against LeBron James. Narrating a tale from one of those clashes, The Truth revealed how he witnessed Bron taking a hard fall and slamming down an emphatic dunk just a few moments later.

According to Pierce, LeBron had left the game after rolling his ankle completely while going for a layup. After merely 10 seconds of sitting on the bench, the 6ft 9” forward decided to check back in the game. In the next few possessions, James went on to posterize his opponent.

“Bron don’t get hurt. Listen bro, I was in a game…I seen the man roll his ankle completely over. He went to the bench for 10 seconds, and came back in the game and caught a lob on somebody,” Pierce said.

 

That really explains why LeBron James hasn’t lost a significant chunk of his career to injuries like many others in his position. Pierce’s testimony speaks volumes on how well-maintained and naturally gifted LeBron’s body is.

LeBron James played the In-Season Tournament Finals despite being injured

There aren’t many 38-year-olds in the world who can do what LeBron James is currently doing. About to turn 39, LeBron is one of the oldest players in the league and has still been playing at an MVP level. Having defeated the infamous Father Time, it seems as though James has been aging like fine wine.

Any injury that one sustains at age 38 is very serious. Thus, Lakers fans were extremely concerned when the superstar’s availability for the latter part of the newly introduced tournament became questionable.

During an In-Season Tournament matchup against the Phoenix Suns, LBJ sustained a left calf contusion. Being listed as ‘probable’ on the team’s injury report for the Finals clash, Bron suited up and took over the floor for the biggest game of the tournament.

The Purple & Gold managed to clinch a 123-109 victory. While Anthony Davis had an impressive outing, LBJ was also productive with 24 points and 11 rebounds.

Having recorded 26.4 points, 8 rebounds, and 7.6 assists, the King won the inaugural In-Season Tournament MVP honors, adding yet another award to his stacked trophy cabinet.

About the author

Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia

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Advait Jajodia, an NBA and Tennis journalist for The SportsRush, has had a passion for both sports for over a decade. His admiration for Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and Rafael Nadal pushed him to gain a profound understanding of the sports. With a background as a multi-sport athlete, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood and the court to offer insightful analysis. Over three years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 22-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 4,500+ articles.

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