Back in February, LeBron James received a unique off-court honor when he was named the Honorary Chair of the 2025 Met Gala host committee. At the time, the main question regarding LeBron’s potential attendance for the Met Gala was whether the Lakers would have a conflict with the NBA playoff schedule, but after getting eliminated in five games by the Minnesota Timberwolves, James’ schedule seemed to be cleared.
However, shortly after that Game 5 loss, word emerged that the 40-year-old star had suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain that would’ve sidelined him for weeks had the Lakers continued playing. That injury timetable apparently extends to galas as well, as James announced on Monday morning that he would not be in attendance for that evening’s festivities.
As he notes in his tweet, Savannah James will be there and holding it down for the James family while he remains in Los Angeles to rehab his knee injury. It’s probably a wise choice, as going to an event where the red carpet takes you up a large flight of stairs probably isn’t ideal for someone with a sprained MCL.
This year’s dress code for the Met Gala is Tailoring Black Style, and while James won’t be there, he will have had influence over the event as the Honorary Chair. Plenty of other athletes are expected to be in attendance for the annual first Monday in May party, including Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton who was also a co-chair this year, along with Simone Biles, Jonathan Owens, Sha’Carri Richardson and Angel Reese who were part of the host committee.
