The Lakers are looking to try and compete for at least one more title with James on the roster, and next season might be their best chance to do so. Los Angeles added more help in free agency and retained their core players, giving them a much more balanced team to start the year.

With the new season still a couple of months away, L.A. sports fans have been cheering on the Los Angeles Dodgers who are once again a World Series contender. Recently, the Dodgers held a LeBron James bobblehead night where they also donated $100,000 to his foundation.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has long been a fan of James and gave his thoughts on what’s impressed him the most and what he’s been able to do this late in his career.

“It’s a long answer as far as what LeBron has done at his age. For the city, for the sport and for sports in general. It’s just a credit to how he takes care of himself. He’s a unicorn. I think physically, genetically, and also the mindset and mentality. Those guys don’t come around very often; once a generation. I marvel at it. I’m around great athletes every day, but to play at the level that he has for two decades, it’s really unprecedented.”

Roberts also recounted the first time he met the King. “I had a chance to meet him when he was in Cleveland, and we had a little chat. It was probably in 2012 or ’13. My good buddy was the assistant coach there. Just seeing how physical he was, I didn’t appreciate how big and strong he was. To see him shoot a set shot from halfcourt essentially and watch him get above the rim was pretty amazing.”

As for whether or not he could guard James, Roberts quipped he wouldn’t even try. “Absolutely not. No chance. I’d give him plenty of room.”

Los Angeles sports fans have been spoiled watching two iconic franchises in the Lakers and Dodgers as well as the respective stars that have come through both teams. Hopefully the two teams are celebrating titles together again sooner rather than later.

NBA 2K24 adds ‘LeBron Era’ to playable eras mode

NBA 2K24 is going to help basketball fans kill time until the new season begins when it releases on Sept. 8. A special feature of the game is the ability to play through different eras of league history.

For the latest edition of the popular video game, they announced that they are adding a “LeBron Era” to the mix.

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Hachimura was an excellent target because of his positional size and mid-range scoring ability, though on a team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis he needed to figure out his new role. The Japan native had ups and downs and even collected a coaching DNP from Darvin Ham before being re-inserted into the rotation.

However, Hachimura had everything click for him in the postseason where he became one of the team’s most pivotal players in each of their playoff series. His playoff performances helped him secure a three-year extension with Los Angeles and should be a key part of the team in the 2023-24 season.

Although Hachimura has been working hard in the gym on his game, he has been taking time to enjoy other activities. Recently, he was seen playing against tennis star Naomi Osaka who shared a clip of their match via her X account:

lil bro really thought he had it pic.twitter.com/FlxOs0U35u

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) August 21, 2023

Osaka has captured four Grand Slam titles and is a former No. 1 overall ranked women’s player, so Hachimura stood absolutely no chance against her even when she isn’t taking the game seriously. In the clip, Hachimura actually hits a good shot deep in the corner that Osaka has to reach for, but she manages to scoop it up and hit it back to the Lakers forward who couldn’t return it.

The offseason has allowed for players like Hachimura to take a break from basketball and it’s good to see him enjoying himself until the upcoming season begins. Fortunately for Los Angeles and their fans, Hachimura is much better at basketball than tennis and should be a valuable contributor en route to another deep postseason run.

Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt worked out with Phil Handy in Greece

Hachimura has always had the talent to succeed at the NBA level, but didn’t get much of a chance to truly develop with the Washington Wizards. However, he is fitting in well with the Lakers who have one of the best development coaches in the league in Phil Handy.

Recently, Hachimura and teammate Jarred Vanderbilt were seen working out with Handy in Greece. The two worked on their jump shooting and footwork as well as a variety of drills to improve their fundamentals.

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O’Neal and Bryant were absolutely dominant during that period, leading the Lakers to a “three-peat” and cementing the organization’s status as the greatest in the NBA history.

However, their road to the final title of that run was a difficult one as they ran into their rivals the Sacramento Kings in the Western Conference Finals. Sacramento was considered by many to be the best team in the league at the time and pushed Los Angeles to a Game 7.

Fortunately, the Lakers prevailed in a nail-biting overtime though Mike Bibby believes his Kings should have won the title that year, via the Knuckleheads with Quentin Richardson & Darius Miles:

“It was a championship that we should have got out of that because we go to Game 7 we shoot two for 13 from the three and under 50 percent from the free throw and go into overtime. I know we were a better team that season. Maybe the years before or years after maybe not, but that year we were the best team, I think, in the league all the way around.

“But going there was just fun to play. Playing in front of all the movie stars and the rappers and all that stuff. And just that gym’s so damn quiet anyway you could hear what anybody says to you. And it was just good that they used to get on me cause I used to talk a lot of -expletive- when I got out there. But I just hear stuff and just get me going and get me going. I loved playing in L.A., that’s probably one of the best teams I loved playing against because I knew going there it’s gonna be a movie.”

Bibby and the Kings were truly a difficult team to stop from scoring as they had a well-balanced attack. However, they shot themselves out of Game 7 and gave L.A. the opportunity to steal the series on the road.

The Lakers would go on to sweep the New Jersey Nets in the 2002 NBA Finals, while the Kings were forced to watch from home. It’s a fun what-if for fans, but the purple and gold certainly won’t complain how things panned out.

Klay Thompson gives credit to Lakers for beating Warriors in 2023 NBA postseason

Another Northern California team has a gripe with the Lakers as well as the Golden State Warriors fell to them in the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals. Los Angeles was the more physical team throughout the series and Klay Thompson couldn’t help but give them credit for beating them.

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As per usual, there are numerous marquee games slated as well as the addition of the new In-Season Tournament. More games gives fans a chance to see their favorite teams in action as well as something else to spice up the regular season.

The Lakers are coming off a successful season that ended in a Western Conference Finals appearance, but have their sights aimed higher after revamping their roster in the offseason. With a healthy LeBron James and Anthony Davis in tow, the Lakers look like a legitimate contender that teams should be wary of.

Since the league switched to Nike as their jersey and apparel maker, they have rolled out a new City Edition uniform every year. Although no news on jerseys has officially been announced, it appears that designs for Los Angeles’ new City Edition threads have been leaked, via Chadear NBA Time:

VAZOU (2X)

Aqui está a imagem completa da nova camisa City Edition do LOS ANGELES LAKERS.

Vocês gostaram?

via @chadearnbatime pic.twitter.com/UKnuDJ8qiH

— Camisas da NBA (@camisasdanba) August 19, 2023

The most prominent feature on the rumored jersey is the font design for “Los Angeles” above the number that’s front and center, which appears to be a tribute to the 1960s teams that used that logo. The purple trim around the top as well as the gold on the team name and Nike logo pop against the black base.

If these are indeed what the new City Editions will look like, they will be in stark contrast to the 2022-23 version that featured a white base color with purple lettering and accents. Black is an easy color to design around and makes for a great alternative to the Lakers’ normal purple and gold jersey, although these could possibly just end up being mock ups.

Regardless of what the actual City Edition uniforms will look like, fans will be more interested in how the team builds off of last season. They’ve got as good a chance as any to win next year, so hopefully they’re able to get the job done.

Top-10 Lakers games for 2023-24 season

Los Angeles is no stranger to being in the limelight and the 2023-24 season is no different as nearly half their games will be nationally televised. The NBA spared no expense pitting them against the best of the best, but there are several games of note that Lakers fans will be waiting eagerly for.

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Russell struggled mightily against the Nuggets, though he still agreed to return to Los Angeles on a two-year deal at below-market value. Despite his lackluster performance, Russell was still a key contributor in the regular season and in spurts during the playoffs, so ultimately it was a good move for both sides.

The guard is expected to start again as he makes for a perfect fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. While Russell might wonder why he doesn’t get credit for his best shooting season, he does receive praise for his passing and playmaking ability.

In an appearance on the The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone, Russell explained why he likes passing the basketball so much:

“I just enjoy it honestly. I enjoy passing and not getting credit for it, if that’s weird. Like I enjoy passing, the guy dunks, the guy lays it up, he flexes in the camera, everybody runs up and gives him the love. But the people that know basketball knew that somebody had to give him that ball, right?

“So I always enjoyed that. I always enjoyed the Ginobilis of the game, obviously Rondo inspired me to pass. I mean it was just seeing what passing did. I was never fast, so I couldn’t just get the ball up as fast as I could. I could pass and then get it back, so I just ran with that.”

On a team featuring James and Davis, Russell doesn’t need to carry much of the scoring burden which means he’s free to pass and distribute. The offense looked better when Russell was able to keep the ball moving, and he’ll be expected to resume that role for the 2023-24 season.

With renewed depth at nearly every position, the Lakers look like a serious threat to contend and Russell should play a big part in their title hopes.

D’Angelo Russell calls Austin Reaves a ‘killer’

Like Russell, Austin Reaves agreed on a new deal to stay with the Lakers, keeping their starting backcourt intact. Reaves came into his own over the course of the 2022-23 campaign, evolving into L.A.’s third-best player.

Russell got to see Reaves up close and when talking about the guard, he repeatedly called him a killer.

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