LeBron James was among the popular personalities who pulled a prank on fans on April Fools' Day.
The Lakers All-Star announced on Twitter that he would be out for the rest of the regular season as reported by Sports Illustrated.
"I'm out for the season officially," the 4-time NBA Most Valuable Player tweeted. His message, however, failed to fool most fans.
I’m out for the season officially. 🤦🏾♂️. See y’all in the fall. 👑✌🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 1, 2022
However, James' tweet is witty considering that he missed the last two games and a third last week.
Presently, he is suffering from a sprained left ankle although he sustained left knee pain the previous week. As a result, James could have been ruled out for the rest of the season.
However, because there has been no additional news or evidence of James' "season-ending injury," fans immediately took it as a joke.
Can James and Davis Make It on Friday's Crucial Game?
But there were Lakers fans that got initially concerned about LeBron's tweet. One reason is that the team's game against the Pelican is something that should be taken seriously.
The two teams are closely competing for a position in the play-in round against New Orleans or San Antonio. Hence, it is a crucial one and fans hope that James and fellow superstar Anthony Davis will be able to make their comeback to the game to keep their playoffs dreams alive.
Davis has missed 39 games this season, including the previous 18 in a row due to a strain in his midfoot. Meanwhile, James has missed 21 games this season, including the previous two games due to an ankle sprain.
James, 37, has averaged 30.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.3 assists. He has a slight lead over Giannis Antetokounmpo (30.1) of the Milwaukee Bucks and Joel Embiid (30.0) of the Philadelphia 76ers for the NBA's top-scoring average this season, per ESPN report.
If James and Davis make it to Friday's game, it would provide a huge boost to a struggling Los Angeles Lakers squad contending for the Western Conference's last playoff place.
The Lakers will need both of their players to return soon if they will even qualify for the play-in round since they are now 31-45 and 11th in the West, trailing the San Antonio Spurs (also 31-45, but with the tiebreaker).
A Medical Decision
On Thursday, the Athletic's Shams Charania reported that Davis is planning to make a comeback in Friday's game. NBA Insider Marc Stein, meanwhile, said that he received information that James will play against the Pelicans if his injured ankle "holds up" during the pregame testing.
Lakers Head Coach Frank Vogel said on Thursday that the Lakers' medical team will ultimately make the "medical decisions" if the two superstars will be allowed to play the crucial game.
"If there is any chance those guys can be out there, they will be. They want to get back as quickly as they can," Vogel said.
With six games left, the Lakers badly need to win games. However, given the schedule, it will not be an easy task.
In the Lakers' final six games of the season, they are set to face the Pelicans (Home), Nuggets (Home), Suns (Road), Warriors (Road), Thunder (Home), and Nuggets (Road), according to Silverscreen and Roll.
And that is not a joking matter.
Related Article: Is LeBron James Playing vs. Pelicans? Lakers Star Says He's Hopeful
