LeBron James jokes with Patrick Mahomes about playing through injuries in Lakers’ road win

Cameras caught LeBron James joking with two-time NFL Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes, who was sitting courtside at the Lakers-Mavericks game on Sunday, about playing through injuries with severe discomfort.

‘You not the only one playing with a f***ed up ankle. Nah, nah. Let’s make a bet, right?’ James, 38, can be seen telling the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback before making an in-bound pass to a teammate in the second-half of Sunday’s game at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

‘The King’, who is now reportedly sidelined indefinitely with ‘right foot soreness’ ahead of L.A.’s Tuesday night matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies, ended up with 26 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the Lakers’ 111-108 win over the West’s sixth seed.

James was seen limping while leaving the Mavericks’ home arena postgame and was even heard saying that he ‘heard it pop’ after falling to the court in the third quarter of Sunday’s game. 

According to Shams Charania, of The Athletic, James ‘miraculously played through the injury’ and will now miss a minimum of two or three weeks of game action in a massive blow to the Lakers’ playoff hopes with 21 regular season games to go. 

Mahomes sprained his ankle during a nervy home win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional Round of the postseason before reaggravating it during Super Bowl LVII. 

Despite the injury setbacks, he was still able to accomplish what mattered the most to him: lifting the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season. 

While the Lakers started looking like a real force again in the Western Conference, James’ injury could prevent the team from making a deep playoff run or to even reach the postseason at all by the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

It’s unlikely that the 38-year-old James experiences the same recovery techniques and setback as the 27-year-old Mahomes, but fans can never rule ‘The King’ out from pulling off the impossible. 

If the dark horse Lakers can pull off enough wins down the stretch, having an injured player in James’ mold is better than having no one at all. 

The NBA’s all-time scoring record holder could channel some of his inner Mahomes to try and deliver what would be L.A.’s best end to a season since 2021, when the team last made the playoffs.