LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers need to be seen to be believed. James made his official debut in a Los Angles jersey on Monday at media day, posing for photos with his new teammates and answering questions from reporters.
LeBron James in a Lakers jersey is surreal. So is seeing his new teammates
Seeing LeBron James in a Lakers uniform with these teammates is still really weird.
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Seeing James in a Lakers jersey is surreal, even if the ink on his contract has been dry for months. Here’s a first look at James with the Lakers young core of Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram:
Ball, Ingram and Kuzma have combined to play in 267 NBA games throughout their brief NBA careers. James has played in 1,382 games by himself if you count his 239 playoff games.
What’s even more surreal is seeing the other players Los Angeles signed this summer in uniform for the first time. The Lakers’ decision to add JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo and Michael Beasley was not some sort of a practical joke. These are going to be LeBron’s actual teammates this year:
James’ latest challenge might be the greatest of his career. He’s playing in the Western Conference for the first time in his career, and he’s doing it after reaching the NBA Finals in the East for eight straight seasons.
The Lakers won just 35 games last year. Even adding the best player in the world doesn’t make them an overnight contender, and James knows it.
Success for James in his first year in LA is about more than reaching the Finals again, which no one will expect the Lakers to do. LeBron’s Lakers want to see development from young players like Ball, Kuzma and Ingram. They want win enough games to make the playoffs in a tough Western Conference. More than anything, they want to appear to be an attractive destination for free agents next summer when they’re loaded with cap space.
LeBron said this felt like the “first day of school” for him, which is the right attitude to have. The Lakers have a long way to go:
Kawhi Leonard isn’t walking through that door for the Lakers, at least not yet. Seeing LeBron James in a Lakers jersey with this supporting cast is a sobering reminder of the challenges he faces in his first year in LA.
If nothing else, at least he has a few other things on his plate to keep him occupied.
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