PHOENIX — Even the king doesn't want to tangle with Arizona's bugs.
Basketball superstar LeBron James posted about a close encounter with one of Arizona's nastier inhabitants: the bark scorpion.
"🦂 really tried to get me when I got out the 🚿! Luckily I was walking with my head down and saw him creeping! Welcome to Arizona," James posted to his Instagram story.
James was in the Valley for the Los Angeles Lakers' preseason matchup against the Suns Thursday night.
It's a good thing he saw the scorpion, cause a sting from that would make it one of the worst showers ever — those suckers hurt.
This is the only scorpion in Arizona that poses any real threat to humans, according to a report from the University of Arizona Health Sciences. Burning pain is the most common symptom, followed by full-body pain.
While not every sting develops further symptoms, they can cause some of the following:
- Trouble coordinating muscle activity
- Difficulty breathing
- Extra salivation
- Double vision
- Nausea
- Fever
- High heart rate
In "extremely rare and unlikely" cases, people have died from scorpion stings. However the odds of that are extremely low, and the stings aren't considered life threatening with medical attention.
If you are stung by a scorpion, the Mayo Clinic recommends cleaning the area with mild soap and water and applying a cool compress. Rest the affected limb and don't take any medicines to make you sleep or feel less anxious.
"If having a hard time swallowing, limit intake to sips of water. If this symptom does not resolve or gets worse over the next hour, seek medical attention," their website states.
So really, it's for the best that the Lakers legend didn't have to deal with all of that.
