El Segundo, Calif. – LeBron James reported to his 23rd training camp on Monday and gave no indication whether it will be his last.
After an offseason filled with his usual extensive work on his game – and a new passion for work on his golf game – the top scorer in NBA history is invigorated and focused on the chance to play a full season alongside Luka Doncic and to compete for his next championship with the Los Angeles Lakers’ revamped roster.
“I’m excited about today,” James said during the Lakers’ media day at their training complex. “I’m excited about the opportunity to be able to play the game that I love for another season. However the journey lays out this year, I’m super-invested, because I don’t know when the end is. I know it’s a lot sooner than later.”
James is also grateful for another year of playing alongside his oldest son, Bronny, a backup point guard for the Lakers – but he claims the possibility of playing in the league at the same time as both of his sons isn’t an immediate thought in his mind.
James’ second son, Bryce, will be a freshman on the University of Arizona’s basketball team this fall, so James realizes that both of his sons could be in the NBA by next season.
“I’m not waiting on Bryce,” James said with a smile. “I don’t know what his timeline is. He’s his own young man now. He’s down in Tucson. We’ll see what happens this year, next year. He has his own timeline, I’ve got my timeline, and I don’t know if they quite match up. We’ll see.”
James will turn 41 in December, but he says retirement is only a vague notion next to his immediate goal of building the Lakers into a title contender. He is well aware of the history he’ll make when he becomes the first player in NBA history to play in 23 seasons when he steps on the court Oct. 21 against Golden State.
“It’s pretty cool to know how many miles I’ve got and still be able to play at a high level,” James said. “For me, age is kind of just a number, but it is reality, too. You look at the history of the game, there’s not been many guys at my age, especially going into Year 23, that have been able to play at a level like that. I just try not to take it for granted and just try to give the game as much as I can, inspire whoever I can.”
After four championships and innumerable individual accolades, James insists he still has various things to prove in his final seasons, even if only to himself.
James is also mindful of having fun every day, whether he’s improving his rudimentary golf game or enjoying his family.
“I feel like you are the age which you tell your mind you are,” James said. “How could I not feel young? I mean, my wife is beautiful. I look good. I look at my age, it’s like the wine that I drink. The older wine I drink, the better it is. I feel great.”
The current season is his eighth with the Lakers, which means his time in Los Angeles is now his longest continuous tenure with a team. He played his first seven seasons with his hometown Cavaliers, followed by four with Miami and four more back in Cleveland before moving to Hollywood in 2018.
But James is still doing the work deep into his third decade in the NBA – and the results are incredible.
James was named to the All-NBA second team last year, marking his 21st consecutive season on one of the three teams. He averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds while staying largely healthy and playing in 70 games.
Despite the upheaval of their midseason trade of Anthony Davis for Doncic, the Lakers won 50 games and the Pacific Division title while finishing third in the Western Conference last season under head coach JJ Redick – but the Minnesota Timberwolves knocked them out of the first round with dismaying ease.
When James picked up his $52.6 million player option for the current season, longtime agent Rich Paul made several public statements serving notice that James wants to play for a championship contender in his remaining seasons, and he would be monitoring the Lakers’ offseason moves.
Those moves have supplemented their core with Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia.
“I’m excited about getting to work,” James said, “and I’m excited to be able to see what we can do.”
Thunder aim to defend NBA title
Oklahoma City – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knows the outside view of him and the Oklahoma City Thunder squad he leads have changed significantly in the past year.
Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning MVP and the Thunder are the defending NBA champions – firsts for both. Now, a team that rarely was seen beyond its local market last season has a schedule filled with national television appearances.
For all the new awards and attention, Gilgeous-Alexander is focused on what has remained the same. Most of the roster that won the title after a 68-14 regular season is intact. Gilgeous-Alexander, All-Star Jalen Williams and rising star Chet Holmgren all signed extensions in the offseason.
Gilgeous-Alexander hopes the familiar faces lead to familiar results. For that to happen, he believes that will require a familiar approach.
“How we get there is the same as it’s always ever been – daily improvement and focusing on trying to get better at the things that we can control every day,” he said. “And hopefully, we look up and we’ve accomplished the same thing we just accomplished.”
Williams, a first-time All Star last season, believes the approach can lead to bigger accomplishments.
“You are chasing greatness,” he said. “You’re chasing to achieve stuff that hasn’t been done in our organization. And that’s everybody’s motivation. I think that’s why we’re a special group.”
Thunder guard Alex Caruso said the team would be naïve to ignore the risk of taking it easy after winning and said the challenges include “fighting the complacency, fighting the human nature of winning and not sitting back and resting but being on the front foot.”
Even with the championship, the Thunder remain one of the league’s youngest teams with its best days potentially ahead.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game last season. It’s hard to imagine him getting better, but he’s only 27. He said he’s still seeking growth and little changed for him this offseason, other than the fact that it was shorter than usual.
“I was never a player that jumped out of the gym or had any insane talents,” he said. “I had to work for it. I had to craft and carve and mold myself into this player that I am today, and I’ll never forget that. And because of that, I hold that very dearly and make sure if I’m doing anything, I’m working at my game and try to be better.”
Williams, just 24, averaged 21.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists last season and was a third-team All-NBA pick and a second-team all-defensive selection. He was a force in the NBA playoffs, despite playing through a wrist injury that required surgery after the season.
Williams said the surgery helped him focus in the offseason.
“It allowed me to be grounded and kind of focus on that and forget about the championship and everything else,” Williams said.
Holmgren, 23, averaged 15.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks last season. He missed 50 regular-season games with a pelvic injury and never fully got back to form last season. Despite that, the versatile 7-foot-1 forward was still a key piece that helped the Thunder win the title.
The role players are back, too.
Isaiah Hartenstein gave the Thunder much-needed bulk and averaged 11.2 points and 10.7 rebounds per game last season. Luguentz Dort was a first-team all-defensive selection who shot 41% from 3-point range. Caruso and Cason Wallace were among the league’s top perimeter defenders. Aaron Wiggins averaged 12 points per game. Isaiah Joe shot 41% from 3-point range and averaged 10.2 points. Jaylin Williams, Ajay Mitchell and Kenrich Williams provided key minutes when needed.
The depth helped the Thunder keep winning last season, despite being among the league leaders in games missed because of injury. Coach Mark Daigneault said the Thunder mentality of being prepared for anything should help them manage the season.
“The circumstances are always changing year to year and even within the season,” he said. “The challenges are always changing year to year and in the season. We try to have a very consistent and stable approach to that. And we try to have things that are pretty timeless and that can transcend circumstances. And we emphasize those in all circumstances.”
Antetokounmpo still believes in the Bucks
Milwaukee – Not even a case of COVID-19 could prevent Giannis Antetokounmpo from discussing his excitement regarding his upcoming season with the new-look Milwaukee Bucks.
Antetokounmpo remained back in Greece recovering while the Bucks held their media day Monday in Milwaukee. The two-time MVP said he’s waiting for a negative test before joining his teammates.
“I’m really bummed that I’m not able to be there from Day 1,” Antetokounmpo said in a Zoom session with reporters. “I want my teammates to feel my presence and feel my seriousness and how much I want to compete and for us to have a great year, but at the end of the day they will understand and if I’m not there today to see them I’ll be there in a few days and we can get the ball rolling.”
The Bucks are relieved Antetokounmpo will be back with them eventually as they try to bounce back from a third straight first-round playoff loss. After Milwaukee fell to Indiana in a series in which seven-time All-NBA guard Damian Lillard ruptured his Achilles tendon, speculation swirled regarding whether Antetokounmpo might request a trade.
Antetokounmpo acknowledged Monday he did ponder his future, but he also pointed out this is something he has done throughout his career. Antetokounmpo has made no secret about how he always wants to play for a team committed to competing for championships.
“I think it’s a disservice to basketball, a disservice to the game to not want to compete at a high level, to want your season to end in April,” Antetokounmpo said.
Yet Antetokounmpo is back in Milwaukee even after three straight early playoff exits, though how he got to that decision remains somewhat unclear.
Bucks owner Wes Edens spoke Monday about a chat he had with Antetokounmpo after the 2024-25 season.
“I had a great conversation with Giannis back in June out here, and he made it clear that he was very committed to Milwaukee,” Edens said. “He likes being here. He likes his family being here.”
Antetokounmpo was asked about that conversation.
“I can’t recall that meeting,” Antetokounmpo replied.
But the 30-year-old forward also detailed why he believes the Bucks could make a deep playoff run after undergoing a dramatic roster overhaul.
“Right now, Milwaukee, I think, is a great team, is a sleeper,” Antetokounmpo said. “A lot of people might not take us serious, but I think we’re a very, very dangerous team.”
The Bucks’ offseason moves included waiving Lillard, who isn’t expected to play this season, and paying him just over $20 million over the next five seasons via the NBA’s stretch provision. The money saved from that move enabled the Bucks to sign Myles Turner away from the Pacers.
Antetokounmpo called Turner “one of the best bigs in the league” and praised how well their games could fit together. Antetokounmpo added that he has spoken with Lillard since the moves. Although Antetokounmpo said he wanted to keep the details of that conversation to the two of them, he added that “my friendship with him will be bigger than basketball.”
Lillard wasn’t the only notable player to depart Milwaukee. The exits of Brook Lopez and Pat Connaughton leave Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo as the only remaining players from the Bucks’ 2021 championship team. Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Giannis’ older brother, is back with the Bucks this year after missing last season with a torn Achilles tendon.
Milwaukee’s roster now is younger and more athletic.
“We’ve just got to put our butts down, put our heads down and stay locked in the whole year long and try to win some games and hopefully get in the playoffs and then don’t get eliminated in the first round,” Antetokounmpo said. “That’s pretty much it. And then we go from there.”
The Bucks plan to have Antetokounmpo handle the ball more and surround him with shooters, similar to the strategy they used while surging late in the 2024-25 regular season when Lillard was out with deep vein thrombosis.
“I just felt strongly that to take that next step, we’d need more speed, we’d need more guys who could guard multiple positions,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “And I thought we needed to play a different brand of offense as well. Putting Giannis on the ball has been huge for us. It gets us downhill. It gets the ball up the floor faster, which is important for us.”
Antetokounmpo has enough faith in himself to believe he can help the Bucks contend.
He’s coming off a season in which he finished third in the MVP balloting while ranking second in the league in scoring (30.4), sixth in rebounding (11.9) and 13th in assists (6.5). He heads to training camp with plenty of momentum after leading Greece to a bronze medal at EuroBasket.
“My confidence is at an all-time high right now,” Antetokounmpo said. “I feel really good about myself. I feel really good about the team. I’m excited to be there.”
Mitchell’s drive intensifies with Cavaliers
Cleveland – Donovan Mitchell already had plenty of motivation in his offseason workouts after the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals despite being the top seed.
His drive went to another gear when he heard last month Max Strus was going to be out the first two months of the season due to a broken foot.
“I made it a point to be ready earlier, especially once Max went down. Honestly, once I got that phone call, I think within the next two days a mental shift just happened,” Mitchell said Monday during the team’s media day. “Just understanding what’s going to be required, not being Superman, but understanding that being ready for what’s necessary.”
Darius Garland had toe surgery after the season ended and is also expected to miss the first couple months. Mitchell is likely to move to point guard with Sam Merrill at shooting guard while Garland is out.
Mitchell averaged a team-high 24.0 points, including 19 games of at least 30 points. He averaged 29.6 points during the playoffs, but it wasn’t enough.
It was the second time Mitchell was on a top-seeded team that didn’t make it to the conference finals. In 2021, Utah lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in six games.
“I think the biggest thing is just understand that we’ve just got to keep going. Sorry, I gave you the political answer, but that’s really all I got,” Mitchell said about what he learned from the Indiana series.
The Cavaliers surprised nearly everyone last season with a 64-18 record – which included three winning streaks of 12 games or more – to finish ahead of 2024 NBA champion Boston atop the East.
This season they are favored to win the conference according to BetMGM Sportsbook (+240).
Even though being the top seed in the East would be a nice reward for the Cavaliers, Mitchell’s focus is getting to the NBA Finals in June and whatever it takes.
“Physically, you can be there, but mentally, can we continue to push through that?” he said. “We’ve run into the same wall three times in a row, so to speak, and mentally you can stop and quit. Are we willing to every day continue to hit your head against the wall and keep pounding, keep going as we continue to make this push?
“I’m just saying I’m ready for whatever. It’s just time. I really don’t have any other way to describe it. It’s just like I’m ready to go and I understand, at the same token, it’s a long journey, too. I’m ready to go and kind of setting the tone, it’s just like, all right, you know, it’s time to go.”
Besides getting engaged to singer Coco Jones, Mitchell’s star power continues to grow. He was featured on NBC’s “Roundball Rock” commercial during the playoffs and is part of Prime Video’s ads as it begins coverage of the league.
Mitchell is featured along with stars Luka Doncic and Victor Wembanyama.
“I think obviously for myself it means I’m doing something right on the floor. But I also think, you know, what the league is doing, continuing to empower and show the faces of everybody, small market, big market, wherever. And I think that’s really what our game has been missing,” Mitchell said. “You got guys in smaller markets who are being talked about the way they should be because there’s so much talent in this league. And I think that’s what you’re starting to see the league doing.”
Cleveland has its core four back of Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Garland and Jarrett Allen, but also added Larry Nance Jr. and Lonzo Ball.
“What’s more impressive for me is seeing who he is off the court. He’s calculated, very intelligent about all the right things. He’s one of those guys that is who you hope he is which is cool to see,” Nance said of Mitchell. “He’s going to be taking all the big shots and carrying a heavy load. So any little bit that I can take off his shoulders I’ll be looking to do that.”
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