LeBron James Scores 19 Points off the Bench in Return From Foot Injury As Lakers Lose to Bulls

• LeBron James made his much-anticipated return on Sunday against the Chicago Bulls
• He came off the bench in his first game back from a right foot tendon injury
• He injured his foot in the game against the Dallas Mavericks on the 26th of February

LeBron James is back!

The NBA’s scoring king made his much-awaited return from a right foot tendon injury on Sunday against the Chicago Bulls.

He scored 19 points off the bench after a long 13-game absence, but the Los Angeles Lakers’ three-game winning streak ended as the Bulls pulled off a 118-108 victory.

With that defeat, the Lakers dropped to ninth place in the Western Conference standings. They have a 37-38 record with just seven games remaining on their schedule.

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They will still fancy their chances of making at least the play-in tournament this season, as they have James back in the lineup. He had eight rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes of action against the Bulls.

James comes off the bench

The Lakers sent shockwaves across the NBA when they announced minutes before tipoff that James would be available to return, per CBS Sports.

LeBron tested his injured foot during pregame warmups and was deemed ready to go for Sunday’s contest. The Lakers were cautious, though, with his return. They decided not to insert James into the starting lineup in his first game back.

He came off the bench for just the second time in his illustrious NBA career. This was the first time since 2007 that LeBron played as a reserve.

Many feared James wouldn’t return this season after suffering the foot injury in the game against the Mavs.

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James makes stunning recovery

James told reporters that two doctors said he should have season-ending surgery after tearing a tendon in his right foot. The four-time NBA champion decided to soldier on after consulting with a doctor he called the “LeBron James of feet.”

James said the doctor told him he shouldn’t have the surgery. That diagnosis proved correct, with James saying the doctors told him he was “healing faster than anybody before they've seen with the injury.”

LeBron's injuries are mounting

Sports Brief recently reported on LeBron's recent injuries.

Father Time appears to be catching up with the Lakers superstar as he nears the end of his basketball career.

He was forced to miss several games in the past seasons because of ankle and groin injuries.