LOS ANGELES — LeBron James will miss the Lakers’ game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday because of left ankle soreness, the team announced.
James, who passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer on Tuesday, will still participate in a pregame on-court ceremony to commemorate the record.
It will be the 12th missed game this season for the 20-year veteran.
While L.A. plans to hold James out for rest, he will remain on the active roster for the night. With a flurry of moves leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline, the Lakers will have only nine available players outside of James.
They are awaiting five new players — D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Mo Bamba and Davon Reed — to report to the team.
L.A. enters the game 25-30, three losses back from the LA Clippers for the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference.