Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James revealed that he was excited to suit up with Luka Dončić on the Los Angeles Lakers due to the star forward's style of play.

"Because he plays the game how I've always wanted to inspire the generation to play the game," James said on his Mind the Game podcast. "It's nothing predetermined. If you have two guys on you, there's a numbers game."

Dončić became teammates with James after the Dallas Mavericks traded him to Los Angeles for a package centered around Anthony Davis and a 2029 first-round pick on Feb. 2.

Dončić previously referred to James as his "idol" while growing up.

“I remember [the first time I faced James], I was nervous,” Dončić said in Jan. 2020, via Yahoo Sports' Jack Baer. “Playing against your idol, I was nervous. It was something different than what I had experienced."

The two stars have been known to score at a high volume to warrant extra defensive attention but also have the passing ability to consistently find teammates when dealing with multiple defenders.

Dončić, James and Hall of Fame point guard Oscar Robertson are the only players to own career averages of at least 25 points, six rebounds and six assists per game (via NBA.com).

The change of scenery initially appeared to affect Dončić, but he's grown much more comfortable with the Lakers as of late. In 21 total starts with the team, he's recording 27.5 points and 8.6 rebounds to go along with 7.9 assists per game.

Over his past 10 appearances, Dončić is also averaging 30.6 points and 8.1 assists per game while shooting 41.3 percent from three-point territory.

The Lakers will look to close out the regular season on a high note with their new star duo, currently sitting at No. 4 in the Western Conference standings with a 45-29 record.

The Los Angeles Lakers entered Saturday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies having lost four of the previous five, but LeBron James used some forceful leadership to make sure the struggles didn't continue during the 134-127 victory.

"He was an incredible leader tonight," head coach JJ Redick said of James, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "And it was early. It was throughout the game. When we got down, I challenged the group in a timeout and he was as vocal as he's been since he got back from injury. And that galvanized the group. ... I think if he doesn't say what he said in the timeout, we probably don't win the game."

Austin Reaves also highlighted that leadership and said, "It was the first time I've heard him yell in a while. It was refreshing, to be honest. I loved it."

The approach clearly worked with Reaves, who stuffed the stat sheet with 31 points, eight assists and seven rebounds behind 5-of-8 shooting from deep. It was part of an excellent overall performance from the Lakers' three go-to options, as James (25 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals) and Luka Dončić (29 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and two steals) also played well.

Those performances came after Redick had a meeting with the trio prior to Saturday's contest, per McMenamin.

"We challenged all three of them when we get to their three-man actions to play with a little more force and a little more thrust and a little more creativity," the coach said.

The win helped move the Purple and Gold one game ahead of the Grizzlies in the race for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and home-court advantage in the first round. They are also just 1.5 games behind the third-seeded Denver Nuggets with an opportunity to move up in the coming days.

Los Angeles' final eight games of the regular season are against Western Conference foes, including Monday's showdown with the Houston Rockets.

James, Dončić and Reaves can finish the season on a high note and take momentum into the playoffs if they continue to play like they did Saturday, which means the King may look to continue his vocal leadership that drew so much praise in the upcoming stretch.

Luka Dončić's first game against the Dallas Mavericks produced a notable piece of sports memorabilia.

The Feb. 25 matchup between Dončić's former team and his new team, the Los Angeles Lakers, ended with a victory for the Lakers and a triple-double for the 26-year-old.

Now his game-worn jersey from that night has sold at auction for more than $60,000.

This isn't the first time that Dončic memorabilia has fetched a big sum, as his rookie card notably sold for $3.12 million in 2022.

This was Dončić's first game since being dealt to the Lakers from the Mavericks on Feb. 2. He has continued to be a star for Los Angeles since, as he is currently averaging 27.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 7.8 assists in 20 games.

The Lakers are currently 44-29 and sit in fourth place in the Western Conference. Dallas, on the other hand, is 36-38 and occupies the final spot for the play-in tournament.

While that was Dončić's first game against his former team, a more anticipated one looms large. He will head back to Dallas for the first time on April 9.

One day after being on the winning end of a buzzer-beater, the Los Angeles Lakers got a taste of their own medicine when Josh Giddey drilled a 47-foot shot to give the Chicago Bulls a thrilling 119-117 win on Thursday.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick spoke after the game about the "devastation" of losing in such dramatic fashion.

"It's a hell of a way to lose a basketball game," he said.

The Lakers escaped with a 120-119 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday when LeBron James made a tip-in at the buzzer after Luka Dončić's floater hit off the rim.

Giddey's shot on Thursday marked the third lead change in the final six seconds of regulation. Austin Reaves put the Lakers up 117-116 after Coby White's three gave the Bulls the lead.

Speaking to reporters after the game, James lamented the Lakers not being able to finish despite having "put ourselves in position to win."

The Lakers' struggles on defense are starting to stand out. They have allowed at least 118 points in each of their last five games (1-4 record), matching their total from the previous 32 games combined.

Chicago overcame an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter by outscoring L.A. 44-26.

James is still getting his legs underneath him after missing two weeks with a groin injury. He's averaging just 17.8 points on 42.4 percent shooting (1-of-13 from three-point range) in four games since returning to the lineup.

The Lakers (44-29) have fallen three games behind the Houston Rockets for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. They are only one game back of the Denver Nuggets in the loss column for the third spot.

Los Angeles has a huge game on Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies. The two teams currently have identical records, with the Lakers having won the first two head-to-head meetings.

A victory would effectively give the Lakers a two-game lead in the standings and home-court advantage for a potential first-round playoff series vs. Memphis.

The Los Angeles Lakers are signing guard Jordan Goodwin to a standard NBA contract, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Charania reported the Lakers are waiving wing Cam Reddish to free up a roster spot for Goodwin.

Reddish only appeared in 33 games for Los Angeles, averaging 3.2 points and 2.0 rebounds. Since the start of February, he has seen the court twice.

L.A. included the 2019 first-round pick in the trade for Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams, which fell apart because of something in Williams' physical. Unlike Dalton Knecht, who was cycled back into the rotation, Reddish has been frozen out.

Goodwin, meanwhile, has capitalized on his opportunity after signing a two-way deal with the Lakers on Feb. 7. He has put up 6.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per contest.

Following a 107-96 victory over the Phoenix Suns on March 16, head coach JJ Redick went out of his way to praise the 26-year-old.

It remains to be seen how much Goodwin will help the team in the playoffs. Postseason lineups can be tough to forecast because of how much coaching staffs have to change their approach.

At the very least, Goodwin's presence will be beneficial toward the Lakers maintaining a top-six position in the Western Conference.

After Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James called out the media's coverage of the NBA, a longtime reporter is responding.

James said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday that he started the Mind the Game podcast last year because he was displeased with the state of the NBA media. ESPN's Brian Windhorst said during Thursday's episode of First Take that while he understood James' perspective, he believes it's not as one-sided as the 40-year-old perceives it to be.

“I think there are times when the media is out of balance, and I encourage NBA players to hold the media accountable when they can, as long as they're OK with being held accountable by the media," Windhorst said. "I think at times our big challenge in the game in the modern era is to find that balance. Let's not have 125 threes a game, but let's not ban the three-pointer. Let's have a balance."

James announced the second season of the Mind the Game podcast and introduced new co-host Steve Nash on Wednesday. Windhorst suggested that mainstream coverage is just as important as James' detailed breakdown of the sport on his own platform.

"When people talk about the game of basketball, they want to talk about the drama, they want to talk about the X’s and O’s, but I'm telling you, if you do a full show that's all X’s and O’s, that's not gonna be any good either," Windhorst said. "You’ll have basketball coaches who want to do it, but if he sits with Steve Nash and all he does is X’s and O’s for an hour, people aren’t going to like that either."

Windhorst added that he believes James' overall assessment of the media is misguided.

"I think there's room for all of it and there's room to hold each other accountable, but the finger-pointing, I don't think that benefits anybody," Windhorst said.

Before his dramatic buzzer-beating tip-in in Wednesday's win against the Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James experienced something he never did before in his legendary NBA career.

James had just three points through three quarters on 0-of-6 shooting before scoring 10 points in the fourth, including a tip-in as time expired, to give the Lakers a 120-119 win. Per ESPN's Dave McMenamin, it's the first time in 1,553 regular-season games that the 40-year-old was held without a field goal over the first three quarters when he played in each. Still, he had a positive reaction to his performance.

"You don't really know if you are in a rhythm or if you are out of rhythm with six shot attempts," James said after the win. "It's just about still what can I do to still affect the game."

James finished with 13 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists across 38 minutes of action as the Lakers ended a three-game losing streak. It was his eighth career game-winning buzzer-beater, tying him with Kobe Bryant and Joe Johnson for the second-most in NBA history behind only Michael Jordan's nine.

"The game is never over until it says zeroes on the clock, literally, tonight," James said. "And just keeping our composure throughout it all."

The Lakers improved to 44-28 and sit one game behind the Denver Nuggets (46-28) for the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference. Los Angeles will look to keep the momentum going on Thursday in the second night of a back-to-back against the Chicago Bulls (32-40).

The shocking trade that sent star point guard Luka Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers undoubtedly took a toll on the young phenom, and his new teammate LeBron James has been doing his part to make the transition to his new franchise an easy one.

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, James explained that he empathizes with Dončić after he was caught off-guard by being shipped away from a team that he expected to be with for his entire career.

"I can't put myself in his shoes because I've never been traded before," James said. "But I can have a sense and be a human being to know, you commit to a franchise for seven years and you feel like, 'This is the place I'm gonna be, this is my comfort.' ... And then out of nowhere, bam, you just get traded. I don't give damn where you're going, it doesn't matter who you're pairing with, that's a shock to your system. That's a shock to your system."

During their first game together, James made it clear to Dončić that he was ready to hand the reins to the 26-year-old when he told him in the pre-game huddle, "Don't fit in, fit the f--k out." Their new partnership paid dividends immediately, as the Lakers climbed the standings and even achieved an eight-game win streak before James suffered a groin injury that sidelined him for two weeks.

"In order for us to reach our potential, he has to be that guy," James said of Dončić. "He has to fit out and we'll figure it out. Let us figure it out with you, because we need you to be who you are."

In addition to praising his new running mate, James paid homage to former Lakers star big man Anthony Davis, who was sent to the Mavs as part of the deal to acquire Dončić.

"I lost a dear friend, a great friend and a champion duo with AD, miss him to death," James said. "But we were able to gain Luka Magic."

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is once again bringing his incredible knowledge of the game of basketball to the podcasting world.

James announced in a new teaser video on Wednesday that season two of the Mind the Game podcast will debut on April 1 with Basketball Hall of Famer and two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash as his new co-host.

"Real quick, if he gets a head coaching job because whatever, I had nothing [to do with it], we didn't talk about this beforehand, guys," James joked, referring to his season one co-host JJ Redick becoming head coach of the Lakers.

The podcast was meant to provide detailed insights into basketball strategies with breakdowns of the X's and O's from one of the greatest players to ever grace the court. James and Redick showed a ton of chemistry as they dissected highlights while sharing a bottle of wine.

Nash coached the Brooklyn Nets from 2020 to 2022 and has largely been out of the spotlight since his departure from the franchise. The 51-year-old is one of the best pure point guards in NBA history, and his 10,335 career assists rank fifth all-time. James is in fourth place with 11,515 and counting.

Fans will surely enjoy watching the two former MVPs discuss the game of basketball in their own unique way when the second season of Mind the Game premieres next week.

The Los Angeles Lakers' good vibes are giving way to concern about their play after a 118-106 loss to the Orlando Magic on Monday night dropped them to 3-7 in their last 10 games.

Luka Dončić told reporters after the latest loss that the Lakers "just got a little bit satisfied" with where they were at and "we can't afford that right now" with three weeks remaining in the regular season.

The problems for the Lakers right now are on both ends of the court. They had the best defensive efficiency in the NBA for more than a month from Jan. 30 through March 6.

Since March 8, when the Lakers' eight-game winning streak was snapped by the Boston Celtics, they have the eighth-worst defensive rating and rank 24th in offensive rating.

Monday's loss to the Magic came two days after the Lakers allowed 146 points to the Chicago Bulls. The second half in both games has been a mess for them. The Bulls scored 81 points after the intermission on Saturday. Orlando outscored them 60-46 in the final 24 minutes.

LeBron James is still working his way back after a seven-game absence due to a groin injury. He looked sloppy against the Bulls with more turnovers (five) than assists (four).

Things looked better for James against the Magic with 24 points, seven assists and six rebounds in 38 minutes.

As long as Dončić and James are healthy going into the playoffs, the Lakers will have the ability to outscore anyone. They have to figure out ways on defense to slow down opposing teams if they hope to make a deep run.

This 3-7 rut has dropped the Lakers into a tie with the Memphis Grizzlies for fourth in the Western Conference. They are only two games ahead of the Golden State Warriors with 11 games to play.

If the Lakers want to know how they stack up against the best teams in the NBA, they are about to find out with six of their next eight games against teams currently in the playoffs.

This stretch starts on Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers and includes games against the Grizzlies, Warriors, Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder (twice) during this stretch.