The Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers from the playoffs on Wednesday night when they suffered a 103-96 Game 6 loss. During the game, LeBron James fell to the ground in agony after suffering an apparent leg injury. On Friday, reports revealed that the 40-year-old forward sustained an MCL injury.

Reports indicate that James was diagnosed with a Grade 2 MCL sprain, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The good news is that the recovery from the injury is three to five weeks. So the Lakers' star should be able to recover by mid-June.

“Story filed to ESPN.com: LeBron James suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee from his collision with Donte DiVincenzo in Wednesday’s Game 5, a league source told ESPN. The injury entails a 3-5 week recovery timeline.”

Despite injuring his knee in Game 5, LeBron James still managed to play a full 40 minutes. He ended the contest with 22 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to dismantle Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves.

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The four-time MVP Award winner finished the 2024-25 campaign with another stellar performance. LeBron James ended the regular season averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game while owning a 51.3% field-goal percentage and making 37.6% from the three-point line.

With the Lakers' season officially over, the franchise will likely take some time to assess what moves to make in the offseason. The trade for Luka Doncic gave Los Angeles a fantastic long-term option to build around, even if James decides to return for another season.

After trading for Doncic, the front office did attempt to trade Dalton Knecht to the Charlotte Hornets for center Mark Williams.

However, that deal fell through. Either way, improving the center position could still be an option for the Lakers this offseason, especially if the franchise can manage to continue building around LeBron James and Luka Doncic for at least one more year.