Lakers Rumors: LeBron James Not Participating In Team USA Minicamp In Las Vegas

Matthew Moreno
3 Min Read
Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

While LeBron James has made endless headlines leading up NBA free agency and since signing a four-year, $153 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, he’s maintained a low profile on a personal level.

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James was on a family vacation before free agency began and has yet to speak publicly about joining the Lakers. Outside of social media posts chronicling his offseason workouts, the 14-time All-Star hasn’t been heard from.

So it made James’ appearance at the Lakers’ Summer League game on Sunday all the more dramatic. He did not speak with reporters but interacted with new teammates Josh Hart and Brandon Ingram, among others.

Whether James is still in Las Vegas isn’t clear, but at minimum he won’t be joining other stars when they descend on the desert next week.

According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin , James is skipping the Team USA minicamp that’s being held July 25-27 at UNLV’s Mendenhall Center:

LeBron James will not participate in USA Basketball’s minicamp in Las Vegas next week, multiple sources familiar with James’ plans told ESPN.

James was among the 35-member player pool that was released in April. A 12-man roster will be selected from the group to participate in the 2019 World Cup in China, and 2020 Olympics Games in Tokyo.

James won Gold with Team USA at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the 2012 Olympics in London. He was not a member of the 2016 roster that also took home a Gold medal in Rio.

James was on the 2004 Team USA roster that disappointed and won Bronze in Athens, which led to an overhaul in how the U.S. approaches international play that now asks participants for more of a firm commitment.

Next week’s camp marks the first official gathering for Gregg Popovich as head coach of Team USA.

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Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers games, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com