Dave McMenamin, ESPN Employees WriterSep 30, 2024, 08:28 PM ET
- Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN.
- Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — For a crew that wished a second-half surge lawful to make the play-in tournament and then changed into summarily bounced in the first round, leading to an offseason coaching replace, there definite changed into an air of optimism in the building for the Los Angeles Lakers‘ annual media day Monday.
No person embodied it more than 39-one year-faded LeBron James as he embarks on his 22nd season, tying Hall of Reputation inductee Vince Carter for the most in NBA historical previous.
“I feel damn factual,” James stated during his information conference. “I had a colossal summer season.”
James had reason to smile when looking abet at winning a gold medal at the Paris Olympics with Personnel USA and being named tournament MVP and looking ahead to becoming the first father to crew up with his son in the league.
LeBron and 19-one year-faded son, Bronny, had been two of the first Lakers avid gamers to know the court docket, happily posing for photography together in their gold Lakers uniforms.
“So I feel in reality factual physically. Mentally, I feel in reality factual. Actually gripping. Very contemporary. Looking ahead to getting to work the following day,” LeBron stated. “I in reality haven’t thought about what the future holds. Kind of lawful living in the second. Especially with Bronny being right here, too. I win not want to know this second as a right.”
Added Bronny: “Right here’s a loopy feeling. … Factual looking over at my dad taking photos, it changed into treasure, ‘What’s going on merely now?’ [That was] actually my thoughts. Factual kind of cling all of it in. Extremely grateful for the alternative.”
James, who will flip 40 in December, stated he changed into grateful for the annoying moments when USA Basketball had to sweat out wins against Serbia in the semifinal and France in the Olympic final — an trip he likened to “two Sport 7s abet-to-abet” — for renewing his spirit for the sport.
“It felt colossal to play meaningful basketball,” James stated. “To dart out there at my age, the miles that I in reality bask in, and with the intention to play at the stage I done at, it gave me distinguished more of a strategy of, ‘OK, I develop bask in plenty in the tank. Loads.’ And I’m able to help a substantial segment of a crew win the final and whatever — if or not it’s gold, or if or not it’s a Larry O’Brien Trophy, or whatever the case is doubtless to be, I’m able to silent win it performed.”
No longer that the optimism changed into so overwhelming the crew changed into blind to its topic.
As stuffed with life as the voluntary offseason train classes had been, JJ Redick is taking over as coach with zero coaching trip. Jarred Vanderbilt (merely and left foot procedures), L.A.’s finest perimeter defender, and Christian Wood (left knee scope), the lone stretch 5 on the roster, will each and each be sidelined for at the least several more weeks and can merely silent want to uncover when observe begins Tuesday.
Anthony Davis, who received gold with James and likewise got a tattoo of the Olympic rings on his left arm to compare James, admitted the Lakers will bask in stiff opponents.
“The West is tricky,” Davis stated. “The West has continually been tricky, , 1-15. So for us, we cannot win too enraged for a win, too low for a loss. We bask in got to come in and maintain even-keeled. That continuity helps, building off closing one year with the crew that we had. Nonetheless I think if we’re healthy and we’re in a location to maintain healthy in the route of the total season, we may well maybe well well furthermore be a high crew in the West. … If we win hit by the injury trojan horse again, or not it’s going to be tricky.”
Things got so tricky for point guard D’Angelo Russell every now and then closing season — butting heads with outdated skool coach Darvin Ham, losing his starting station at one point and then playing successfully enough to win it abet absolute most realistic to fight in the playoffs — that he acknowledged his uncertain future with the crew, greeting journalists by saying “surprise, surprise” earlier than his interview.
“I think for me, in reality, I in reality desire to tell regret in the sense of showing a lack of professionalism every now and then,” stated Russell, who has been in fixed verbal replace with Redick to win their relationship off on the merely foot.