CLEVELAND -- LeBron James was tired but happy to be back at
practice Monday, less than one week after the Cleveland Cavaliers
star was hospitalized for a virus.
The 20-year-old forward said he is taking antibiotics but
feeling better daily. He participated in the entire three-hour
practice but was listed as doubtful for Wednesday night's
exhibition game against Memphis as a precaution by coach Mike
Brown.
"It was a little tiring," James said. "My chest got stopped
up a little bit, but for the most part it was fun to get back on
the floor with my teammates."
Team physicians initially thought James had a strained pectoral
muscle, but tests revealed pleurisy, an inflammation of the thin
layers of tissue covering the lungs and chest cavity.
"I know what a plural is," James joked. "But I've never heard
of pleurisy."
James felt chest pain last week. The pain worsened after
practice the next day and he was admitted to the Cleveland Clinic.
He was released Friday following a two-night stay.
James said he was never scared but is relieved to be recovering.
"It was difficult," James said. "It was a feeling I never
felt before. I thought it was serious at first."
James has missed three preseason games because of the illness.
He said he'll let his body tell him when it's time to play his next
preseason game. Brown said there's no reason to rush him.
"LeBron is back to himself," Brown said. "He's leading the
team. He's running the team from whatever position he's at and he's
playing hard at both ends. It didn't look like he missed a beat at
all."