The Los Angeles Lakers have battled the injury bug in the early stages of the 2018-19 NBA season.
After seeing Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram miss extended time due to injuries, it appeared another bug was going around, as the Lakers were dealing with multiple sick players on Friday when the team beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 112-104.
JaVale McGee was one of those players fighting what the team labeled “flu-like symptoms.” As it turns out, the big man was diagnosed with something a little more serious.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, McGee was hospitalized with pneumonia and was discharged from the UCLA Medical Center on Saturday. Haynes also notes that McGee is listed as day-to-day and is attempting to be back in the lineup in time for Tuesday’s Christmas day game against the Golden State Warriors, where he will be presented with his championship ring for his contributions last season.
McGee has missed the last three games with the illness and his contributions have been greatly missed. The Lakers went 1-2 in those games, experiencing a large share of defensive difficulties without their starting center in the lineup.
While McGee wants to play against his old team on Christmas day, the most important thing is getting him back to 100 percent health, even if it takes some extra time.
You can follow this author on Twitter @garykester.
