Rapper Lil’ Romeo has been forced to sit out the remainder of the basketball season after sustaining a serious knee injury.

The 18-year-old - real name Romeo Miller - picked up the injury during his Beverly Hills High School team’s first game of the year against Valencia California’s West Ranch High School.

Romeo has a basketball scholarship to the University Of Southern California (USC), and will now rest up so he stands the best chance of making his college basketball debut this autumn (08).

His father, rap star Percy ‘Master P’ Miller, tells AllHipHop.com doctors advised the star to refrain from strenuous activity until he makes a full recovery.

He says, "Now, he’ll stay out (this season) and make sure it heals totally.

Staying off it will keep him from having further problems, like tearing something which would cause him to need to be operated on. So, we wanna make sure it heals."