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When LeBron James slipped on Christmas Day and as cameras were surprised to hear him say, the Los Angeles Lakers were perfectly right to worry. James was removed in the third quarter due to an injury that was diagnosed as a sprained groin.
The initial testing and evaluation generated some optimism, but James missed a little over five weeks as he recovered. James missed 17 games in the longest absence of his 16-year career.
"I just tried to stay as positive as possible," he said about the long recovery. "I have excellent support staff with my family, friends and training staff. I've just tried to stay as positive as possible.
"I was not positive every day throughout this process. I've probably had more negative moments than positive moments. But when you have excellent support staff, it helps a lot. Sometimes I felt good and then a day or two later, I did not feel so good.
"Moments where I thought I could come back faster and faster than now, but that was not the way to react. I had to be patient, you know I'm not patient at all. Just work hard to get back there. "
The Lakers prudently managed James' rehab process, which included a steady buildup related to his level of activity on the ground. He came back last Thursday against the Clippers, overcoming self-doubt late in the day. The Lakers went 6-11 without James, adding to his anguish and frustration.
"I've never been hurt like that before. At most, I sat to the maximum in two weeks when I broke my wrist when I was in high school as a junior, "he said. "I did not come here to sit on the bench. I love clothes, shoes, but I did not come here to put on a costume every day. I came here to wear a shirt, shorts, that's what I came here to do.
"And lead a team in the best way I know. This is the frustration part. When you see your team struggling and you know how much you can help it and you can not do anything in a suit and tie, that's where the negativity begins to creep into your mind. "
James admitted feeling about 80% on his return and was gently walking into the locker room after recording 40 minutes of overtime victory. Persistent pains prevented James from playing against the Golden State Warriors this weekend.
He is considered likely for Tuesday's game with the Indiana Pacers, the first of four remaining players on the Lakers' schedule before the All-Star break. Head coach Luke Walton said the team would evaluate James after each competition.
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