LeBron James likely spends $84,000 on his feet but that may not protect him from injuries, says podiatrist

LEBRON James’ tricky feet need thousands of dollars in specialist care to prevent painful ulceration impacting his game, a podiatrist has suggested.

And she thinks a new right foot injury may have been inflamed as LeBron continued on the court after falling.

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LeBron James soaks his feet after a basketball match when he was playing for the Cleveland CavaliersCredit: Getty

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LeBron looks comfortable and happy at the Crypto.com Arena in LA in January and according to a podiatrist spends a fortune on his ‘complicated’ feetCredit: Getty
Recently, the LA Laker injured his right foot during the second half of the game against the Dallas Mavericks.

And following the fall on Sunday, February 26 it looks like the sports star could now be out of action for weeks.

While LeBron continued to play on and through his injury, it was reported later that microphones had picked him up saying he’d “heard a pop” after falling.

In an exclusive interview, award-winning podiatrist Marion Yau told The U.S. Sun: “It’s amazing that LeBron played after he fell.

“Carrying on likely exacerbated the right ankle and now he’s probably on prolonged rehabilitation.

“He has also had the left ankle and other issues before.

“Usually if you hear a pop in the foot then it might be worth checking no major tendons or ligaments are damaged.

“It’s unlikely to be an unstable foot injury.

“Now he’ll be doing balancing exercises, strengthening exercises, and physio to support the ligaments in his right ankle and the muscles.

“It’s probably the best thing for LeBron and given his age to consistently rehab this injury until he’s ready to go back.

“Even when LeBron was injured last he seemed to just keep on going which isn’t good at all for his feet and ankles.

“While playing on made it worse he may not be out for too long.

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LeBron James’ resting his right foot after getting injured during a Lakers game on Sunday, February 26Credit: Instagram/lebron
“For his feet generally, I would say that every month LeBron will be likely spending around $7,000 on podiatric care, orthotics, and custom sneakers.

“LeBron also has a complicated left foot and would need scalpel treatment to get the calluses removed and prevent ulcerations.

“Now there’s rehabilitation for his right foot on top of that.

“That’s a huge bill – adding up to $84,000 a year.”

Earlier in February and LeBron had also sustained an injury to his left ankle.

At the time the player received a scan that showed no issue, but the freshly crowned all-time leading NBA scorer sat out a few subsequent plays.

“From his injury report around the time of the scan on the left ankle, that might take time to recover fully compared to previous years, ” says Marion.

“From then his team podiatrist would’ve been providing taping, massages, orthotics changes, and rehabilitation for this left ankle.”

Our expert adds: “Otherwise from looking at past images of LeBrons feet, I can see there are also deformities on his left foot.

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LeBron getting his feet and ankles taped up in the locker room in 2011Credit: Getty
“There’s a loss of pigmentation on two toes.

“Where his second toe overrides his big toe, his third and fourth toes are raised, and his fifth toe overlaps his fourth one.

“A podiatrist would need to be consulted regularly to reduce the thick skin that builds up because of these raised toes and the overlap.

“There’s a lot of pressure rubbing against his skin, which can cause dead skin and eventually ulceration.

“A scalpel would be used to painlessly remove the hard skin causing the skin to become whiter.

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LeBron has custom sneakers made by Nike that would help protect his feetCredit: Splash
“LeBron could have his toes tattooed to get the color back.”

LeBron James is one of the greatest basketball stars of all time, with the 6’9″ NBA player in his fifth year with the LA Lakers.

But since the 38-year-old athlete was planning to bring his team to the playoffs.

And his age, latest right foot injury, and overall health of his size 15 feet are critical.

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LeBron’s left foot has problematic toes which overlap and could lead to ulceration if he doesn’t have foot treatments every six to eight weeksCredit: BackGrid
At a press conference last year, on retirement and his physique LeBron said: “I don‘t have a number,” when asked how many years he has left in the game.

He added: “I know as long as my mind stays in it, I can play at this level for a minute.

“Now, that’s up to my mind. My body is going to be OK because if my mind is into it, I will make sure my body is taken care of, and I’ll continue to put in the work.”

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LeBron ahead of a basketball match, with taped ankles and where his overlapping toe is visible on his left footCredit: Getty
“I can also see in the past images of LeBron’s feet that he has a moderate hallux abductor valgus,” adds Marion.

“This is usually hereditary and is caused by genetics.

“He’d have been managing and living with this for a very long time.

“Management and treatment are really expensive.

“When I see patients with these types of feet, they usually don’t experience any foot pain and can function normally.

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LeBron James has a pedicure where his left toes show signs of pigmentation lossCredit: Splash
“For his other regular foot treatments and outside of the right foot injury, he’d visit a podiatrist every six to eight weeks.

“If he doesn’t take care of his feet and do the scalpel treatment and get the calluses removed, he could get ulcerations where the tissue breaks down on his toes.

“In theory, with the pigmentation on the left toes, it if never came back and he wanted to, LeBron could get them tattooed.

“But the cause of the pressure would have to be addressed or else the skin would have to be removed and pigmentations happen again.

“And as people age the skin becomes thinner, you get infections a bit easier and wound healing’s delayed.

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LeBron has regular podiatric and massage treatments on both his feet as seen here ahead of a basketball game in San Antonio, TexasCredit: Getty
“What I currently see is that LeBron wears good shoes, has orthotics, and has really good podiatric care.

“When we see him wearing sliders, there’s less rubbing against the toes and they help reduce the pressure on the toes.

“But otherwise he needs to wear specially made shoes.”

Orthotics are custom-designed insoles that are inserted into shoes and give arch and heel support while cushioning the foot.

And with a price tag of around $2000 a pair, given LeBron’s match and training commitments, once he’s back in the game, he’d likely need to change these a couple of times a year.

Adding on custom-made and comfy Nike sneakers, the costs of LeBron’s specialist footwear appear to be racking up.

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LeBron often wears sliders in the locker room before and after basketball games (seen here in 2007)Credit: Getty
“Basketball players’ sidewalls are subjected to a lot of force when cutting,” adds Marion.

“So the shoes are designed to withstand pressure while cutting and can last for at least a few months, even if the user plays daily.

“High-cut shoes reduce injuries by providing maximum ankle, and foot support. However, these high-cut shoes are heavier and more expensive.

“Because they sprint and jump, more force is likely to be applied to the ankles and feet so ankle and foot injuries are more likely.

“If he gets injured more now though, it may be harder for him to recover.

“Obviously, with age, your ligaments are weakened as well.”

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LeBron walks barefoot in Miami where the toe on his left foot overlaps his big toe and where a podiatrist says his skin requires regular scalpel treatmentCredit: BackGrid