In advance of LeBron James' return to Akron on Monday, ESPN spoke to more than two dozen NBA figures about his move to L.A. Not everyone was impressed.
Free-agent forward Michael Beasley has reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources told ESPN. The sides have reached terms on a one-year, $3.5 million deal, sources said. Newly signed Laker LeBron James played one season with Beasley while they were with the Miami Heat in 2013-14, and he is a fan of Beasley's game.
The free agency period for the NBA started midnight of July 1 and as soon as the clock struck 12 midnight news started pouring in of free agents agreeing to contracts with teams. But the biggest fish in free agency had not yet committed until the next day. LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise leader […]
For the last few months, we’ve been operating under the assumption that Paul George to the Lakers next season is close to a done deal. But according to George himself, that isn’t so. George called it ‘too early’ for him to commit to playing with the Lakers next season in an in-depth interview with Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins. The Lakers will have to make commitments from another top player or two from around the league before George even considers them an option, he said. “It would have to be a situation where the ball gets rolling and guys are hopping on. This guy commits, that guy commits. ‘Oh s---, now there’s a team forming.’ It has to be like that,” George told Jenkins.
Russell Westbrook connected with his new teammates immediately. Westbrook scored 17 points in his 28th triple-double of the season, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 110-93 on Friday night. It was the first game in a Thunder uniform for Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott, acquired Thursday in a trade with the Chicago Bulls. Gibson scored 12 points and McDermott added eight, even though they arrived Thursday night and weren't even available for shootaround on Friday.
Magic Johnson strolled into the conference room wearing his trademark smile, television-ready in a trim black suit, light blue shirt and black tie. All along the walls surrounding him were photos of the Los Angeles Lakers' glorious past, from fellow legendary players to snapshots of iconic games and championship parades -- all moments that have felt very distant as the franchise has slipped into dysfunction and irrelevance.
Back in 2012, I wrote about Lakers exceptionalism, the idea that the rules of the NBA don't apply to the most famous basketball team in the world. I wrote that as the Lakers sat teetering on the edge of the cliff of irrelevance. They'd fired Mike Brown five games into the season, abandoning an offensive system he just installed. They'd snubbed Phil Jackson after dangling the job in front of his nose. They'd bought into the idea that Dwight Howard (coming off back surgery) and Steve Nash (almost 40 years old) would team with Kobe Bryant to lead the Lakers back to the NBA Finals.
According to the Los Angeles Lakers, Magic Johnson's ceremonial title of vice president was removed to clarify confusion about the Hall of Famer's involvement with the organization.
The Los Angeles Lakers, looking to rebuild and move on from the Kobe Bryant era, fired coach Byron Scott on Sunday night after two struggling seasons.
The word gets thrown around a lot after Lakers losses. Trust. The lack of it is obvious if the Lakers find themselves trailing, when their offense melts into predictable isolation plays and too-quick heaves with plenty of time on the shot clock. Lack of talent is one reason they'll almost surely crash into the worst record in 68 years of Lakers basketball. Lack of cohesion is another. One person stands up and takes accountability. He's a rookie.
Get a recap of the Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers football game.
Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard shared a brief pregame hug and a few in-game laughs during the Houston Rockets' comfortable win over the Lakers.
This time, the Lakers maintained on Friday, the organization is not worried about the latest injury that has derailed Kobe Bryant. Bryant didn't practice for a second straight day because of a bruised lower left leg and has been ruled out of Saturday night's exhibition against the Golden State Warriors in San Diego for "precautionary" reasons, but Lakers Coach Byron Scott said there was no need for any concern like the previous injuries his star guard has dealt with in the last three seasons.
A look at the top 10 storylines heading into training camp.
Kobe Bryant announced via Instagram on Saturday that he was able to start on-court shooting for the first time since tearing his right rotator cuff against New Orleans on Jan. 21. Bryant, who underwent surgery to repair the tear, played 35 games last season and has been unable to shoot for about seven months.
The Los Angeles Lakers have an extremely promising young core consisting of Julius Randle, D’Angelo Russell, and Jordan Clarkson. Only one of those three, however, have proven that they can play at an NBA level on a consistent basis. That player would be Clarkson, who was named All-Rookie First Team after averaging 11.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists.