Is LeBron James playing tonight?

The status of Lebron James for the Los Angeles Lakers game against the San Antonio Spurs has been confirmed via Lakers reporter Mike Trudell. 

After the Lakers won their first game of the season against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, the much-hyped LA team got bad news regarding LeBron James as the team headed to face the Spurs on Tuesday night in San Antonio

LeBron will be out for the team’s fourth game of the young season, making way for the likes of Carmelo Anthony to see more minutes and for newcomer Russell Westbrook to likely handle the ball more than he has in his first three games with the franchise.

But make no mistake, playing without James is a huge blow for the Lakers.

Why is LeBron James not playing for the Lakers vs. Spurs tonight?

Lakers.com beat reporter Mike Trudell reported that LeBron James would be out, siting right ankle soreness as the reason for the eventual DNP.

This day of rest was a projected possibility after Sunday’s game, though, Trudell reported that James was listed as “probable” after the Grizzlies match.

What caused the ankle injury was a collision under the basket with Grizzlies shooting guard Desmond Bane.

“My first thought was ‘Not again,’” James said to reporters after the Grizzlies game, a reference to last year’s injury suffered against the Phoenix Suns on the same ankle. The devastating ankle injury led to James having the fewest games of his career in a single season.

The injury appears to be worse than James anticipated, as he will be out for tonight’s Spurs game. It’s still unclear whether or not he will join to team on Wednesday to play the Oklahoma City Thunder, or Friday for a revenge matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers.