For the second time in three nights, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers will face the Denver Nuggets to begin their 2018-19 NBA preseason.
As the Lakers fell short in James’ debut, this will mark the first time he has played at the Staples Center as a member of the Lakers.
With James signing a four-year, $154 million contract in free agency, he will usher in a new era in franchise history and Staples Center is ready to welcome him.
Originally Kobe Bryant’s, James will take his old locker, which belonged to Brandon Ingram in his first two seasons. The Lakers shared a glimpse of the renovated locker room at Staples Center on Twitter:
???? Hit the upgrade button on the #LakeShow locker room pic.twitter.com/7QQG5OnQcX
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 2, 2018
Fresh looks in Lakerland pic.twitter.com/6Y4qjLdkXo
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 2, 2018
Less noteworthy is that Rajon Rondo now occupies the locker that Luol Deng has. A decision to put James where he is may very well be related to the corner location having more space to accommodate a presumed large contingent of media.
With Staples Center being the house that Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal built, James is the latest superstar to join the storied franchise. While the Lakers are a mystery team heading into the 2018-19 NBA season, there are expectations that James will at least win one championship during his time in Los Angeles.
If James is able to accomplish his goal, he will be one of three players in NBA history (John Salley and Robert Horry) to win a championship with three different teams. However, if he is not able to, he will join Elgin Baylor as the only two superstars to not win one with the Lakers.
Are you following us on Instagram? We’ve changed our handle to @LakersNationOfficial! Find us on Facebook at @LakersNation, and on Twitter @LakersNation.