The franchise had been mired in mediocrity following the glory days of the ‘Showtime’ Lakers in the 1980s. Despite some of the talent the Lakers were able to bring on, they were still in desperate need of a game-changer.

Fortunately, Los Angeles still had general manager Jerry West in their front office calling the shots at the time. It was not long before West was able to poach the generational big man from the Orlando Magic.

It was on July 18, 1996, that the Lakers managed to pull off one of the biggest free agent signings in NBA history.

Prior to his arrival, O’Neal had already established himself as one of the league’s premier big man for what he was able to accomplish during his short tenure with the Magic. While he enjoyed plenty of success in Orlando early on, the lack of potential for sustained success led him to ponder going elsewhere.

Signing O’Neal was a major step in the right direction for the Lakers organization as it finally gave them a franchise player to build around moving forward. West had also pulled the trigger on trading for Kobe Bryant in the 1996 NBA Draft and the rest is history as they went on to form arguably the greatest duo in league history after combining to lead the Lakers to a three-peat in spectacular fashion.

Although the Lakers reigned supreme over the league at the height of their powers, things eventually started to crumble from within. Despite the rift between O’Neal and Bryant, they still proved to be perennial championship contenders.

Unfortunately, things would eventually hit a boiling point between the two and the front office was given an ultimatum between which player they wanted to keep. To no surprise, the Lakers sided with Bryant and O’Neal would go on to solidify his legacy with the Miami Heat before becoming a bit of a journeyman at the end of his career.

The pairing of these two superstars may not have ended as most fans would have hoped given their unceremonious break-up. Regardless, there is no denying that signing O’Neal not only helped the Lakers add to the lore of their historic franchise, but it also set a precedent for other future big men that hope to wear the purple and gold.

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James finished with a game-high 34 points while tacking on 11 rebounds and five assists. However, a tough night from Russell Westbrook was magnified by the Lakers’ woes on defense.

Even without Klay Thompson, the Warriors had more than enough firepower to push the pace on offense. It was only a matter of time before they started to find their rhythm as they finished the game shooting 35.9% from deep on a healthy 30 team assists.

James feels it was their inability to contain the 3-point line in the fourth quarter that proved to be the difference.

“We struggled with the 3-ball. We had that neutralized through three quarters,” James said. “They did a good job in that second lineup of coming in and getting the 3-ball going. They had 55 points off the bench. … That team challenged us. There’s a few teams that challenge you more than any other team in the league and there up there in terms of challenging your defense for all 48 minutes.”

James acknowledged that while this new group is still finding its footing amid the new changes, it is important for them to start getting on the same page mentally when it comes to being a team defense.

“We’ve always been a team defense. Cover for one another. We lost two of our guys that we counted on for on-ball defense in AC and KCP. But it’s always been team defense, it’s always been if someone breaks down how can we cover for them. A lot of the mistakes that were made was mental mistakes tonight. We got to switch on a certain situation. There wasn’t a time that we should’ve switched give up a backdoor and some of them their offense just actually executed versus our defensive schemes.

“There’s a lot of things on the floor that the normal fan wouldn’t understand. They’d just say, ‘Why are you giving up another three or a layup?’ Sometimes better offense beats a great defense any time and they did a great job of executing their offense as well, so you got to give them credit.”

Although the Lakers made headlines with their notable additions this offseason, it was no secret that this new group would need some time to mesh. They may still be far from a finished product after Game 1, but it is evident that defense will once again be the focus early on.

The Lakers have the luxury of allowing the offense to be led by Davis and Anthony while Westbrook continues to find his rhythm after the pair combined for 67 points and 22 rebounds. For now, it is imperative that they get back to where they were the last two seasons as one of the best defensive groups in the league.

LeBron not concerned with Westbrook’s struggles

Westbrook’s debut with the Purple and Gold fell vastly short of expectations as he finished with eight points on 4-for-13 shooting and had a team-worst plus/minus of minus-23. While it may have been a rough outing for the nine-time All-Star, James is hardly concerned about his fit.

“It’s one game. We want to learn from it, we want to get better, but we won’t harp on it too much. We’ll get better from it, he’ll get better from it. We’ll put him in positions where it benefits him and benefits our team. I think we’ll continue to learn that as the season goes on.”

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Named after the Los Angeles Lakers superstar, the 85,000-square-foot facility will house the Nike Sport Research Lab where they gather data from athletes for future products. The massive building located in the center of Nike’s campus contains 400 motion-picture cameras, 97 force plates, 825 pieces of testing equipment and four environmental chambers.

James spoke on what it meant to have such a place named in his honor.

>“Over the course of my career and my time here at Nike, for all of this to come together is surreal. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to me, but I’m definitely honored. Having my name on the Innovation building feels very fitting because I’m always trying to figure out ways I can continue to innovate and continue to break the timeline of what they say is your prime.”

The equipment will be used to track and analyze athletes from all sports since the building also contains a full-size NBA basketball court, a 100-meter track with two lanes of track and field surface and a one-third-size regulation soccer field with artificial turf, via Joe Pompliano of readhuddleup.com:

2003: 18-year-old @KingJames signs a $90M deal with Nike, still the largest rookie deal ever.

2021: Nike opens a 750,000-square-foot "LeBron James Innovation Center" at their global headquarters, including an NBA-size court, a soccer field, a track, and more.

Legendary ???? pic.twitter.com/kGGkTAAAry

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) October 4, 2021

“Our goal every single day is to make athletes better and to make the world better for athletes,” says Kathy Gomez, VP of Footwear Innovation. “Understanding more types of bodies, more genders, more backgrounds and different ability levels helps us create better and more specific product.”

The center itself uses 100% renewable electricity and is built to quickly convert the research into prototypical designs for products that can be created in less than an hour.

>“In the innovation space, we take information from the NSRL, and we are able to look at different ways to solve an athlete’s problem. It gets extremely interesting,” says Janett Nichol, VP of Apparel Innovation. “In a conventional way of building a product, we would just go straight to a material, get a pattern, sew it, and then that would be it. Here, we can go to anything from biology or chemistry to pushing the limits of a machine to create a very different experience with material.”

James signed a seven-year, $90 million endorsement deal with Nike back in 2003 that has since evolved into a lifetime contract that is believed to be worth an estimated $1 billion. He now joins Michael Jordan and Serena Williams as the pillar athletes with their own buildings at Nike headquarters.

James voted in a lot of categories in NBA GM survey

Even going into the 19th season of his career, James remains of the best players in the NBA and that was represented by him being voted into a ton of categories in the NBA’s annual GM survey.

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The 26-year-old established himself as a key starter in the rotation for the Miami Heat during his first two years in the league. Although he could have been on the lookout for a potential payday, he decided to take less in exchange for another opportunity to compete for a championship with the Lakers.

There are certainly no shortage of high-profile names on this roster for the Purple and Gold. Regardless, a player of his caliber is expected to play an integral role in making a title run come to fruition.

Nunn admits that while he is relishing in the chance to learn from so many veterans, he is looking forward to playing his part to get the Lakers back on track.

“It’s a surreal moment, but I’m also alongside with them as well. So I have a job to do and I play up to my potential. Being a younger guy in the locker room, I’m going to learn a lot from these guys. A lot of veteran guys and a lot of experience. It’s only my third year in the league, so I’m definitely a sponge in the locker room.”

The former undrafted free agent feels that work ethic and sacrifice are key components to the overall make-up of this team.

“With the makeup of this team, I don’t think work ethic or anything like that is an issue. A lot of veterans guys, a lot of guys that have major success in this league. So I don’t think that’ll be an issue and guys like me the younger guys that have good work ethic and that’s hardworking just willing to do anything to help the team, I think that’s another key.”

Nunn added that he is well aware of what he brings to the table and plans on finding his rhythm once the 2021-22 NBA season begins.

“I feel like that’s going to come. Just playing the game the right way and just bringing my strengths to the game. That’s all I can control and things will fall in line.”

Nunn’s skillset as a combo guard will allow for some versatility in the backcourt between shooting and playmaking. After all, he had no problem etching out a role for himself in Miami after averaging 15.0 points while shooting at a 36.4 percent clip from deep during his first two seasons.

There is plenty of speculation regarding how the starting lineup will ultimately look for Frank Vogel. Fortunately, Nunn’s comments are an encouraging sign that the players are all too willing to accept whichever role comes their way.

Nunn describes team minicamp in Las Vegas

Lebron James got a head start on building team chemistry by organizing a three-day minicamp for the team in Las Vegas. Not only was it a chance for all the new members of this roster to get acquainted they were able to get some quality workouts in before the start of training camp.

Nunn felt it was an ideal opportunity for the tea to come together and get on the same page.

“I’m definitely excited for this upcoming season. Just been preparing myself all summer. Getting ready to shine and this past weekend in Vegas was good for the team. A lot of chemistry. Everything we did was team-oriented, so everyone was included. Everywhere we went to eat and stuff like that. Just building that chemistry.”

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They kickstarted things with the blockbuster acquisition of Russell Westbrook and followed it up with a reunion of epic proportions by filling out the roster with a host of former players. While there is plenty of speculation regarding the dynamic of this new-look squad, the Lakers are optimistic about the supporting cast surrounding LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Getting so many new faces acquainted with the system each season comes with its own set of challenges. Fortunately, this year’s additions have wasted no time making a strong impression at the start of training camp.

Even James is admittedly impressed with how quickly the new players are getting assimilated in camp, naming three players in particular that have impressed him.

“I would say K. Nunn, Baze and DJ. They’ve picked up some things, obviously Rondo and Dwight kinda, they kind of already know our system so that goes without saying, but Baze, K. Nunn and DJ have been playing really good ball for us. It’s just learning, learn our system pretty fast. So that’s great to have.”

James was referring to Kendrick Nunn, Kent Bazemore and DeAndre Jordan, all of which should play key minutes this season.

Rajon Rondo echoed James’ praise while making sure to give Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and Austin Reaves their due.

“You can’t say one guy,” Rondo said after Thursday’s practice. “Russ’ pace, his intensity, his competitiveness. You’ve got DJ’s rim protection, guys look like they have an open shot and DJ is coming out of nowhere. I don’t think Melo’s missed since he’s become a Laker, so everything is gelling and it’s only Day 2 so I’m excited to see guys grow, even down to the rookies. Austin Reaves is very impressive so it’s been a great two days so far. We want to be able to continue to build and grow each day.”

Frank Vogel doubled down on Rondo’s notion that Westbrook is looking like his usual, fast-paced self on the court.

“Russell Westbrook is pretty good. He’s a good basketball player. He’s good at basketball,” Vogel joked. “His speed, not just in the open court, the downhill driving and paint-attacking nature of his game has really been something else to watch up close in practice the last couple days. I think Lakers fans are going to be thrilled about what he looks like in the Purple and Gold.”

It is going to take some time for this star-studded group to get on the same page. However, having the benefit of a full offseason will surely pay some dividends leading up to the start of the regular season.

Players like James and Rondo are expected to serve as a stabilizing factor on both ends of the court while this team endures its growing pains early on.

James pleased with energy in practice

Even though the Lakers managed to secure a championship in the bubble, the truncated offseason that followed had a major impact on the team’s health issues down the line. That is no longer the case now that players have had ample time to rest this time around.

James has already started to notice the benefits of the extra time off in practice.

“Yeah, it’s just the energy,” James said. “Energy alone is just, last year after coming off the bubble, it literally took everything away from you. Any little bit of energy that you had, it was completely gone when we left there. So to come back into the season with the quick start that we had, kind of the life of the party was a little bit just like it was kind of stale, rightfully so. Guys just didn’t get an opportunity to have a mental break. So you could definitely feel the energy shift a lot more this season in the first two practices compared to last.”

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