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[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers Rumors: LeBron James Actually Was Notified Of Sale To Mark Walter

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are in a peculiar position as despite picking up his player option for the 2025-26 season, his future in the organization is currently uncertain.

James’ agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports put out a statement saying that the 40-year-old is looking to compete for championships at this stage of his career. The Lakers have not yet made the moves necessary to reach that level, prioritizing the future now that they have a 26-year-old superstar in Luka Doncic.

While James and Doncic remain close and share a mutual respect, it would be understandable if the former isn’t happy about the direction the Lakers are going. Some reports have indicated they are prioritizing 2027 as the time to go all-in with Doncic, which would obviously be after James career is over.

Additionally, a recent report by Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN indicated that Doncic was given a heads up about the team’s ownership sale to Mark Walter, while James was not:

When the Buss family agreed to sell a majority stake in the franchise to Mark Walter on June 18, Doncic was given a heads-up and notably posted a congratulations on social media afterward. James was not given the same notice and did not post any public acknowledgement afterward.

It appears that was incorrect though as Shelburne and Windhorst updated their story to say that LeBron was indeed notified through his representation:

When the Buss family agreed to sell a majority stake in the franchise to Mark Walter on June 18, Doncic was given a heads-up and notably posted a congratulations on social media afterward. After the publication of this article, sources said James was notified of the sale, via his representation. But he did not post any public acknowledgement.

James and the Lakers have always had a very cordial relationship, so even if they are prioritizing Doncic’s timeline, it makes sense that the 22-year veteran was at least notified about the monumental, record-breaking ownership sale.

ESPN also previously reported that both James and Doncic were excited about Walter taking over the Lakers, so this all seems like a bunch of nothing. Regardless though, LeBron’s future is still uncertain as it remains to be seen if he will be suiting up for the purple and gold or elsewhere in his 23rd season.

LeBron James attended Lakers Summer League game​

Despite whatever displeasure LeBron James currently has for the Lakers, he was in attendance for their Summer League game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night in Las Vegas. LeBron was, of course, supporting his son Bronny James, but was also seen talking with Lakers players and coaches during the game.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-rumors-lebron-james-actually-was-notified-of-sale-to-mark-walter/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Rich Paul: LeBron James Never Asked Lakers For Contract Extension

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is entering the 2025-26 season in completely unfamiliar territory. For the first time in his career, he is entering a season as a true expiring contract, after he and his agent, Rich Paul, opted in to the final year of his two-year contract with the Lakers for about $52.6 million.

What followed was a statement from Paul that suggested LeBron might be looking to finish his career elsewhere and that his goals may no longer align with the Lakers. That was succeeded by a media frenzy surrounding possible James trades to various teams around the league that could have theoretical interest.

There have been many to suggest that LeBron’s statements and subsequent reactions like posting things related to the Cleveland Cavaliers on social media were because the Lakers reportedly did not offer him a contract extension. However, Dave McMenamin of ESPN had a rebuttal to that claim straight from Paul himself:

“Some have posited that the true cause of this situation was the Lakers not offering LeBron a contract beyond next season. But Rich Paul told me that they never asked for one.”

As always when statements like this are put out, there are multiple options of what could really be going on behind the scenes. The first is that Paul is telling the truth, and that they knew from the jump they would be picking up the player option for James and evaluating his options afterwards.

There is also a possibility that this is simply PR from Paul to make it look like the decision to not extend was completely mutual. Or to show that LeBron was the one who did not want to extend the same way the Lakers did not want to extend him.

Regardless of the truth, the Lakers and LeBron are where they are now. And they have to have some conversations to determine what the best path is for all sides moving forward.

LeBron James focused on enjoying offseason​

Despite LeBron James not going into the season with an extension in hand, there is no denying that he is still one of the most powerful players in league history. And if he truly wanted a trade or a chance to play for a new team, it’s unlikely the Lakers would deny him that opportunity given their history of star treatment.

Rich Paul knows this, and that’s certainly part of why he wants James to sit back and enjoy the summer to the best of his ability. The outside noise is always going to be loud when it comes to the Lakers star.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/rich-paul-lebron-james-never-asked-lakers-for-contract-extension/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Recap: Bronny James Big Game Not Enough As Lakers Lose To Clippers In Las Vegas Summer League

The Los Angeles Lakers were back in action on Monday night, taking on the L.A. Clippers in their third game of the Las Vegas Summer League.

The Lakers split their first two games, including an easy victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday night. They looked to build off that momentum in this one, but they weren’t able to as the Clippers pulled away late to claim a 67-58 victory.

Plenty of Lakers players were in attendance, including LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jaxson Hayes. With that being the case, Bronny James made sure to get off to a nice start in front of his Lakers teammates by making his first triple and then a layup.

Outside of Bronny though, the Lakers couldn’t get much going offensively early with the Clippers taking a 15-10 lead. Cole Swider got going with a triple, but the Lakers still trailed 22-13 at the end of the first.

James returned to start the second and got his team going again by getting to the free throw line and hitting another pair of 3-pointers. Dalton Knecht then got going offensively as well to get the Lakers within one at the end of the first half, 32-31.

The Lakers’ run continued into the second half with DJ Steward connecting from deep to give them the lead. Offense was scarce for both teams in the third quarter though with the defenses stiffing up inside. The Clippers were able to get out in transition to regain the lead and took a 48-43 advantage into the fourth quarter.

With the Lakers in dire need of offense, Swider got going with five straight points. James then buried another triple to complete an 8-0 run and tie the game.

James and Swider continued carrying the offense as the game remaining tied going into the final couple of minutes.

It wasn’t until the final minute that the Clippers pulled away as the Lakers got some good looks from deep but could not knock them down. Knecht had a chance to cut a five-point deficit to just two in the final minute and his miss essentially marked the end of the game.

Bronny had his best game of the summer, finishing with 17 points, five rebounds and five assists on 6-of-10 shooting.

What’s next for the Lakers​

The Lakers will next take the court on Thursday at 6 p.m. against the rival Boston Celtics. From there, it will be determined if they make the Las Vegas Summer League playoffs and if they don’t, they will play one final exhibition game on Saturday or Sunday. With now two losses on their record, it’s extremely unlikely that the Lakers will make the postseason.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/recap-bron...-lose-to-clippers-in-las-vegas-summer-league/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers News: Bronny James Feels Game Is Slowing Down For Him

Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James has made massive strides over the last year. After being one of the most talked-about — and absurdly criticized — second-round picks in NBA history, he got off to a slow start. He struggled at Summer League in 2024, and did not perform much better when given NBA opportunities last season.

However, his time in the G League was extremely positive, as Bronny gained valuable experience as South Bay’s starting point guard. And that experience and development is showing itself in a big way at Las Vegas Summer League in 2025. On Monday night, James had his best game, posting 17 points with five rebounds and five assists on 6-for-10 from the field with three 3-pointers made.

He’s averaging 13.0 points and 3.3 assists per game in Las Vegas, and a part of his success comes from the fact that he feels the game might be slowing down entering his second professional campaign, via Dime Dropper Pod:

“Yeah, for sure. I mean, it helped that I was in the G League running point guard most of the time. Just getting those reps in, and in Summer League, is helping. I’m just getting more comfortable game by game.”

The Lakers guard could potentially earn a spot in the team’s the rotation in the 2025-26 season, and his development between the G League and Summer League shows why that might be the case.

His offense has taken real leaps — although he still has plenty of work to do with turnovers and consistent 3-point shooting — and even his defense has improved, when it was already his stronger side of the floor. And to see those types of strides so quickly shows that the Lakers made the right move selecting him at No. 55 overall in 2024.

And the way he has kept his head down and made those improvements in the face of constant criticism and national attention shows that he’s the kind of high-character player teams always love to have.

Bronny James discusses growth into leadership role​

While Bronny James continues to get back into basketball shape this summer, he’s already making an impact off the floor as one of the Summer League squad’s de facto leaders. Following his California Classic debut, James talked about his natural leadership status and how his teammates have responded to him.

“To be honest, just trying to go out there and be myself,” Bronny said. “I’ve always been told that I have a leader kind of personality, so just trying to go out there and be the right example for my team and everything else will follow. And the guys…we have an amazing group of guys that are very coachable and very good people so there’s no problem whatsoever when it comes to that.”

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-news-bronny-james-feels-game-is-slowing-down-for-him/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers News: Shaquille O’Neal Defends Kobe Bryant After Being Ranked 11th-Best NBA Player Ever

Ranking the top NBA players of all-time is a very difficult task. No matter how someone’s list turns out, there will be plenty of debate over where certain players are slotted. One thing that is for sure is that the top of any list will be full of Los Angeles Lakers legends with the likes of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal almost guaranteed top 10 spots.

At least that would normally be the case for most lists, but in Bleacher Report’s recent top-100 all-time players list, Kobe was ranked 11th. And this did not sit well with his teammate who called them out for the perceived slight.

O’Neal responded to the list on X by defending his former co-star:

Kobe at 11 is criminal

— SHAQ (@SHAQ) July 14, 2025

Bleacher Report’s top 10 in order was Michael Jordan, James, Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, Bill Russell, O’Neal, Tim Duncan, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Stephen Curry. Bryant came in at 11, followed by Hakeem Olajuwon, Kevin Durant, Oscar Robertson and Jerry West.

Everyone ranked in their top 10 list is undoubtedly deserving to be there, but to leave Kobe out of it is a stretch, even for those who aren’t the biggest fans of the Lakers’ legend. Whether it is stats, accolades, championships or just the eye test, Bryant should be a lock in the top 10 greatest players list and Shaq calling them out for putting him 11th is valid as there are few who know better than the big man.

As time has gone on since Kobe retired from basketball, the rise in prevalence of advanced statistics has hurt his standing amongst many. His efficiency numbers weren’t great and certain metrics don’t view Bryant in the best light, which has led some to question whether he is really at that top of the top level. But anyone who teamed with, or played against Kobe, will put him in that realm without question.

Mark Cuban compares Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg development to Lakers’ legend Kobe Bryant​

Perhaps the next big NBA star is 2025 top overall pick Cooper Flagg, who recently struggled in his Summer League debut. But former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban feels Flagg just needs time to grow, just as a young Kobe Bryant did when he first joined the Lakers.

“You kind of have to think of the Kobe [Bryant] arc,” Cuban said. “It took him some time to get it right. I don’t want to curse him by comparing him to Kobe because they’re not the same. But Kobe didn’t come in right away as a polished player. It took him two years to get it.”

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-new...after-being-ranked-11th-best-nba-player-ever/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers To Close Out Las Vegas Summer League On Friday Vs. Nuggets

The Los Angeles Lakers’ Summer League experience in 2025 has had its share of ups and downs, both on a team and individual level. The team looked good during the California Classic, but has struggled at the Las Vegas Summer League with a 1-2 record so far.

Bronny James, Cole Swider and Darius Bazley have all impressed, but last year’s first-round pick Dalton Knecht has had a rough showing in Las Vegas.

The Lakers still have one more regular game scheduled against the Boston Celtics on Thursday. But each team that doesn’t make the Summer League playoffs will also get one last game as well and with the Lakers having no chance of qualifying, they now know when that will be.

The NBA announced the schedule for Friday, July 18, when the Lakers will take on the Denver Nuggets in each team’s Summer League finale:

The NBA 2K26 Summer League schedule for Friday, July 18: pic.twitter.com/NjtsUoUNBE

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) July 16, 2025

It is fitting that the Lakers will take on he Nuggets, who have emerged as a rival over the past few seasons. Following games against the Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers, not to mention facing the Golden State Warriors in the California Classic, the Lakers have squared off against all of their biggest rivals this summer.

Bronny has been the biggest story for the Lakers during Summer League as he has impressed with just how much more comfortable he has looked. He is averaging 13 points and 3.3 assists in the first three games in Vegas and has overall had a positive impact on the Lakers’ success. The same can be said for Swider, who looks like a true NBA player, leading the Lakers in scoring in Vegas at 19.7 points on a ridiculous 48.3% shooting from 3-point range.

Bazley has also impressed with his overall activity and defensive ability as he looks to get his NBA career back on track while rookie DJ Steward has also been solid throughout. The struggles of Knecht were not ideal, however, as he has shot just 29% from the field in Vegas and has been unable to get going.

Considering the Lakers’ game against the Nuggets is the second day of a back-to-back, it’s possible and even likely that James, Knecht and others won’t suit up in the finale. That would give an opportunity for other players to showcase their skills with extended minutes, which is exactly how Quincy Olivari made an impression on the organization a year ago.

Lakers’ Bronny James feels game is beginning to slow down for him​

Lakers guard Bronny James looking as good as he has this summer has undoubtedly been a positive development. He quietly was very good when playing in the G League last season and he feels all of that development and reps he got down there are helping him get more comfortable overall.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-to-close-out-las-vegas-summer-league-on-friday-vs-nuggets/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

FIBA EuroBasket 2025: Schedule, Roster & TV Info For Luka Doncic & Slovenia

After many exhibitions and tune-up games FIBA, EuroBasket 2025 is finally set to kick off with group play beginning on Wednesday, August 27. Many NBA stars are set to participate including Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece, Nikola Jokic of Serbia and, of course, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic leading Slovenia.

Doncic has been in the news all offseason, primarily because of his commitment to training and getting into the best shape of his life. The Lakers star is noticeably skinnier and has dropped plenty of weight prior to the tournament, looking excellent during Slovenia’s exhibition slate.

For the most part, Luka has been completely unstoppable in the tune-up games, but Slovenia hasn’t been too successful. Slovenia picked up just one win in six exhibition contests, taking down Great Britain, but dropping games to Serbia, Latvia, Lithuania and a pair of contests to Germany, all of whom should be in medal contention in this tournament.

Making things even scarier for Doncic was an injury scare he suffered in Slovenia’s contest against Latvia. Lakers fans everywhere held their collective breaths when a teammate fell into his knee and he limped off the court. While he did eventually return to the Slovenian bench, Luka did not go back in the game. Thankfully, he avoided any major issue and was back on the court for their next game.

The format for FIBA EuroBasket is similar to that of of the Olympics for all those who watched that tournament last summer. There are 24 teams placed into four groups of six with a round-robin schedule taking place where each team will play every other team in their group once. The top four teams in each group will then advance to the knockout round, which is then a single-elimination tournament.

The Round of 16 games will take place on Sept. 6 and 7, with the quarterfinals happening on Sept. 9 and 10. The semi-finals will be on Sep. 12 with the Finals and third-place game going down on Sept. 14.

Like the previous three tournaments, EuroBasket will be co-hosted by multiple countries, including Cyprus, Finland, Poland and Latvia for the group stage. Slovenia’s group will be playing in Poland. The Latvian capital Riga will then host the knockout rounds.

Slovenia roster for FIBA EuroBasket 2025​

Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
Gregor Hrovat, JDA Dijon (France)
Robert Jurkovic, Free agent
Martin Krampelj, Sagesse SC (Lebanon)
Edo Muric, KK Ilirija (Slovenia)
Mark Padjen, KK Ilirija (Slovenia)
Klemen Prepelic, Dubai Basketball (UAE, EuroLeague)
Rok Radovic, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia)
Leon Stergar, Free agent
Luka Scuka, Lowen Braunschweig (Germany)
Aleksej Nikolic, Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia)
Alen Omic, Buducnost Podgorica (Montenegro)

Group play schedule for Luka Doncic & Slovenia at FIBA EuroBasket 2025​

August 28: vs. Poland – 11:30 a.m. PT
August 30: vs. France – 8:00 a.m. PT
August 31: vs. Belgium – 5:00 a.m. PT
September 2: vs. Iceland – 8:00 a.m. PT
September 4: vs. Israel – 8:00 a.m. PT

How to watch Luka Doncic & Slovenia in FIBA EuroBasket 2025​

Luka Doncic and Slovenia’s group play games will be stream on DAZN or Courtside 1891, FIBA’s official streaming service, which will be streaming all tournament and exhibition games. A paid subscription is necessary, however, in order to watch full games. A free subscription unlocks access to highlights and some replays.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/fiba-eurobasket-2025-schedule-roster-tv-info-for-luka-doncic-slovenia/