Report: LeBron James Wouldn't Have Worn Cast If Hand Injury Didn't Leak

LeBron James reportedly wouldn't have worn a soft cast on his right hand after Game 4 of the NBA Finals if news of the injury hadn't leaked out before he was slated to speak with reporters. 

According to USA Today's Sam Amick, it's "unclear if James or his associates would have shared the news at a later time, but there were no plans to pull the curtain back that night."

However, James pivoted and confirmed the news by sporting the cast postgame. 

Amick first reported after Game 4 that James suffered a deep bone contusion when he punched a whiteboard in the team's locker room following Game 1. 

"I had emotions on [how] the game was taken away from us; I had emotions of [how] you just don't get an opportunity like this on the road versus Golden State to be able to get a Game 1," James said, according to Amick. 

According to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin, James underwent two MRIs, which were "kept quiet to prevent Warriors from knowing" about the injury. 

Despite being banged up, James averaged 34.0 points, 10.0 assists and 8.5 rebounds while shooting 52.7 percent from the field in the Finals.