Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is facing an indefinite spell on the sidelines after suffering a high ankle sprain in the team's loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

The Lakers went down 99-94 to the Hawks on Saturday but it was an injury to James that has caused more concern for the NBA champions.

James exited in the second quarter after Solomon Hill collided with his right ankle at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The 36-year-old fell to the court and screamed before rolling around in agony.

After attempting to stay in the game – hitting a three-pointer to reach 10 points in 11 minutes – James eventually left the game and did not return.

"I haven't necessarily seen him scream and scowl like that probably ever," said Lakers team-mate Kyle Kuzma.

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel added: "I won't disclose what any mood of LeBron was like internally. It's in-house."

James – who has missed only one game this season, a loss to the Sacramento Kings on March 3 prior to the All-Star break – has been averaging 25.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game in 2020-21.

His 10 points against the Hawks extending his NBA-record streak (1,036) of consecutive games with at least 10 points.

The Lakers (28-14) – already missing injured star Anthony Davis – are third in the Western Conference, behind the NBA-leading Utah Jazz (30-11) and Phoenix Suns (27-13).