LeBron James Injury: Updates on Miami Heat Star's Nose and Return

Updates from Sunday, March 9

LeBron James has decided to stop wearing the protective mask for his injured nose, per Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

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He was supposed to wear it for another week.

“I’m good,” James said. “It’s uncomfortable.”

James wore the mask to protect the broken nose he sustained against Oklahoma City Feb. 20. He missed one game _ Feb. 23 against the Bulls in Miami _ because of the injury.

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Updates from Tuesday, March 4

After scoring 61 points against the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday, LeBron James suited up once again Tuesday against the Houston Rockets. 

As time was running out on the Heat in their 106-103 loss, LeBron leapt into the elbow of Dwight Howard. Howard's limb hit him square in the face, making solid contact with his nose. Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald reports on the outcome of that collision:

However, Palm Beach Post reporter Jason Lieser reports that LeBron may have fooled everyone:

Updates from Thursday, Feb. 27

The Miami Heat have announced that LeBron James has returned to the lineup:

Bleacher Report provides us with a picture of the mask LeBron is sporting:

South Florida Sun-Sentinel reporter Ira Winderman previously noted that James was strongly expected to play:

Updates from Wednesday, Feb. 26

The Miami Heat's official Twitter feed has the latest on LeBron James:

Updates from Sunday, Feb. 23

Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald has the latest on LeBron James' status for Sunday's game vs. Chicago:

Ethan J. Skolnick of Bleacher Report provided some context from Erik Spoelstra on the decision to sit James and had more information on his recovery:

Updates from Saturday, Feb. 22

Michael Wallace of ESPN has an update on LeBron James' injured nose:

The Heat's official Twitter feed provided more details on LeBron's status:

Updates from Friday, Feb. 21

NBA.com reports that LeBron James broke his nose:

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The Miami HEAT announced today that after being re-evaluated in Miami, it has been determined that forward LeBron James has suffered a broken nose.

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James also posted a picture of himself following the incident:

Original Text

Anytime LeBron James leaves the floor with a potential injury, it is certainly going to raise some eyebrows.

The NBA on ESPN’s official Twitter account alerts us to a development from the Miami Heat’s contest against the Oklahoma City Thunder:

Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post adds more on James' injury:

Bleacher Report's Ethan J. Skolnick shares further details:

Fortunately for the Heat, the game was well in hand when their superstar walked off the floor. He had an impressive stat line of 33 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists on 15-of-22 shooting when he left, although he did turn the ball over eight times.

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

Following the game, James posted an Instagram photo of himself as the Batman character Bane:

Miami is in a tight race with the Indiana Pacers for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and home-court advantage if those two squads do meet in the conference finals. Losing James for any length of time would obviously cripple Miami’s chances of catching and eventually surpassing the Pacers in that race.

Even though this is not as alarming as some type of leg injury, it is still worth keeping an eye on because it is James, the consensus best player in the world.