LeBron James Ankle Injury: Status Unclear For Season Opener Against Boston

Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James briefly worked out his injured left ankle during practice on Sunday, but it’s unclear if he’ll suit up for Tuesday's season opener against former teammate Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics.

Coach Tyronn Lue said he is uncertain if James will play in the Cavaliers season opener Tuesday due to an injured ankle, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reported Sunday.

Because of the injury, he only practiced for one quarter during Sunday’s workout and sat out of Friday’s preseason finale against the Orlando Magic.

James ran a few plays during Sunday’s practice before jumping into a cardio workout and ankle treatments, Lue told the AP.

It’s still too early to determine if James will make the opener against the Celtics, Lue said.

"He's got to see how it feels," Lue told the AP. "Getting treatment, work it the right way and see what happens."

Need some #MondayMotivation? Just press play.
Take in the Top 5 Plays of our #NBAPreseason! pic.twitter.com/xfd4lHcVcz

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 16, 2017

James has limited basketball activity since he tweaked his ankle during a Sept. 27 practice. He missed the Cavaliers first three preseason games before he suited up for just 30 minutes Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls. James may have aggravated the ankle during the game when he attempted a spin move to the basket.

The Cavaliers will kick off their season Tuesday against the Celtics and Irving, who requested a trade from Cleveland in July.

James has been relatively injury-free throughout his career and has never missed a season opener, and the 32-year-old has only missed 8 games during the 2016-2017 season, according to Basketball Reference. However, Lue alluded to age playing a factor in James' recovery time.

"He's getting older, like me," Lue said. "It's something that he's been trying to work on. He tried to come back and play and he might have tweaked it on that spin move, and that could have set him back a little bit."

The Cavs lost 11 straight regular-season games without James, and have a lowly 4-23 record without him since he returned to the team in 2014.

Though the team may be stronger on paper this time around with the additions of 2006 Finals MVP Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, and Jae Crowder, who will start the season opener.

Conversely, the team played well in scrimmages without James, and Lue likes their chances.

"I think we'll be a lot better off. I think we got a lot of different pieces," Lue said. "We're deeper. A lot of versatile players. A lot of different lineups we can play. So, it will be different but I think we have a better chance, yes."