Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff Writer
Before the Lakers departed on a 1,750-mile flight from Los Angeles to the Midwest for Thursday's exhibition in opposition to the Milwaukee Bucks, LeBron James took to social media to query the necessity of the trip.
“Can someone please explain to me why we're getting on a [plane emoji] and heading to Milwaukee for 1 pre-season game!?!?” James posted to X on Wednesday.
The Lakers will play a six-game preseason slate this month, and none of the video games are at residence.
The group scheduled the video games on the street as a result of of deliberate renovations to Crypto.com Arena. The constructing is finishing the third part of its main renovation program since present process a rebrand from Staples Center to Crypto.com Arena in 2021.
Can somebody please clarify to me why we're getting on a ✈️ and heading to Milwaukee for 1 pre-season recreation!?!?
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 9, 2024
The NHL's Los Angeles Kings additionally shall be displaced till Oct. 24, once they play their first regular-season residence recreation vs. the San Jose Sharks.
The end result has been the purple-and-gold occurring a barnstorming tour earlier than the curtain rises on the NBA's common season on Oct. 22, when the Lakers host the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers performed their first two preseason video games in Palm Desert, California — about a two-hour bus journey from their apply facility — this previous weekend.
Following the Milwaukee trip, the Lakers will play their remaining three preseason video games over a span of 4 days: vs. the Golden State Warriors in Las Vegas (Tuesday); at the Phoenix Suns (Oct. 17); and at the Warriors (Oct. 18).
“Not an ideal preseason for us,” Lakers first-year coach JJ Redick mentioned Tuesday when requested about the journey schedule.
In previous years, the Lakers would usually play a few preseason video games at residence, a couple on the street in opposition to Western Conference opponents and a few others in non-NBA cities in the broader L.A. area to give followers in locations corresponding to San Diego and Ontario, California, a probability to see the group in particular person.
While the NBA is answerable for placing collectively the 82-game schedule for all 30 groups, the league doesn't management the preseason schedule and permits every group to deal with it by itself. There is not any minimal quantity of preseason video games required, however the most allowed is six.
The Bucks made the flight to Los Angeles final preseason as half of a three-game street trip by Memphis, L.A. and Oklahoma City and scheduled it so the group might spend practically a full week in Southern California between the Grizzlies and Lakers video games.
The Lakers are returning the favor to play in Milwaukee this preseason, as half of a prearranged trade-off as a home-and-home collection, sources advised ESPN.
Lakers level guard D'Angelo Russell mentioned he understood how journey could possibly be taxing on James and Anthony Davis after the pair spent the offseason competing internationally, however he added the bulk of the roster is trying ahead to getting again on the court docket — wherever that could be.
“I think for guys like AD and Bron who played all summer in the Olympics, they'll be load managing those guys,” Russell mentioned this week. “But the rest of us are still hungry. We want to go out there and play every game and put the Laker uniform on and see how the crowd responds to whoever is out there on the floor. Get some energy from that.
“So, for me, I look ahead to having a good time.”
