LeBron James is undeniably one of the greatest players of all-time, so when he decided to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency, there was obvious excitement.
However, James didn’t make any public comments in the weeks that followed the agreement and subsequent official contract signing on July 9. That changed on the eve of James opening his I Promise School and during an appearance at the school the next morning.
Since then, James and the Lakers have remained firmly in the limelight. He shared the first look of himself wearing the new Nike Icon jersey on Wednesday, and was at the Lakers’ practice facility Thursday morning.
It was there that James got work in with assistant coach Miles Simon and joining him were Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma, which the team shared on Twitter:
Young Kings pic.twitter.com/VCf80qpEvr
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 10, 2018
James already has some work to do in terms of proving doubters wrong. So far, one undisclosed Western Conference executive, ESPN and Charles Barkley have all voiced serious concern for this Lakers team.
Some have gone so far as to say they won’t even make the playoffs. However, unlike his last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James will have plenty of help around him.
Veterans Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee and Michael Beasley will support him and the young core. Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson said he believes Ingram is in position to benefit most from playing with James.
If all else fails, the team will head into 2019 free agency with a max slot in the form of salary cap space. For now, the Lakers have a roster that could surprise and make some noise, and it all starts with one of the league’s all-time greats in James.
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