LeBron James leaves with less than four minutes left in the last quarter against the Sacramento Kings. (Image via AP /X)

The Los Angeles Lakers played against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. The Lakers faced a terrible loss after blowing a 19-point lead in the first half.

This loss has again dropped the team to the 10th seed in the Western Conference standings.

With 3:56 minutes left in the last quarter, after a timeout, Lakers star LeBron James left the court and was seen heading to the tunnel into the locker room.

At the time, the Kings were leading 122-108. During the game, the reason behind James’ exit was unknown, which took viewers by surprise.

In the 36 minutes he played, James scored a double-double with 31 points and 13 assists. The athlete’s efforts fell short of securing a win.

Other than Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, no player on the team scored 20 or more points in the loss. James had limited help, as Anthony Davis only scored 14 points in 34 minutes.

The Kings, on the other hand, have been dominant since the start of the second quarter, outscoring the Lakers 44-20.

Kings forward Domantas Sabonis was electric during the game, scoring a triple-double with 16 points, 20 rebounds, and 12 assists. But the dominant factor in the Kings’ win was the 44-point performance by guard De’Aaron Fox.

Darvin Ham opens up about LeBron James’ 4th quarter exit

The reason behind LeBron James’ exit in the final minutes of the game was not announced during the game. The star’s leaving the game early generated curiosity among fans. Based on James’ performance, the player leaving while the team was losing took viewers by surprise.

Lakers LeBron James
Lakers head coach Darwin Ham talks about LeBron James departure (Image via CNN)
In the post-game press conference, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham was asked about James’ exit from the game. To which he responded by saying James would be evaluated.

He is going through the evaluation process. I’m sure there’ll be an update later.
Darvin Ham said
After further being asked about the evaluation, Ham was not aware of what the evaluation was for.

Ham said he isn’t sure what James is being evaluated for. He said he just James grimace and go back to the locker room. https://t.co/7k9inBGJee

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) March 7, 2024
Later in James’ post-game interview, the forward talked about his departure. James was struggling with his left ankle.

It’s just my ankle. It’s just what I’ve been dealing with before and after the break. Managing the best way I can.
Darvin Ham further added
James has left ankle peroneal tendinopathy, as evaluated last month. The star finished by saying he would be fine.