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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/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Tim Legler Replacing Doris Burke On ESPN’s Top NBA Broadcast Team

This season kicks off the first under a new media deal for the NBA that sees NBC, Peacock and Amazon Prime joining ESPN and ABC to broadcast games. Under this new deal, there will be national NBA games happening every night of the week, which means these networks will need a lot of broadcasters and analysts to call these contests.

While NBC and Amazon will need to put together broadcast teams, ESPN already has plenty of commentary teams that have spent years together and could continue going with them. However, the network is choosing to make a change to their top commentary team as ESPN announced that Tim Legler will be replacing Doris Burke on their lead broadcast team:

ESPN today announced its deep roster of NBA game commentators for the 2025-26 season. Veteran analyst Tim Legler will join ESPN’s lead NBA broadcast team, which includes Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Breen, analyst and NBA Champion Richard Jefferson and reporter Lisa Salters.

Legler, Breen, Jefferson and Salters will call the NBA Finals on ABC, the Conference Finals, high-profile first and second round games during the NBA Playoffs, a Christmas Day game and NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC – the marquee, national NBA game of the week. Legler is celebrating his 25th anniversary with ESPN, having served as an analyst since 2000.

ESPN today also announced it has reached a multi-year extension with analyst and Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame broadcaster Doris Burke. Burke will continue to call high-profile NBA games on ESPN and ABC, including the NBA Sunday Showcase series. Her assignments will include full slates of games throughout the regular season and the NBA Playoffs. Burke will regularly work alongside play-by-play voice Dave Pasch. With this new deal, Burke’s tenure at ESPN will extend more than 35 years. She first covered basketball for ESPN in 1991 and has since been assigned to 17 NBA Finals, including six as a game analyst between ABC and ESPN Radio, as well as 11 as sideline reporter on ABC.

Burke has long been considered one of the top NBA analysts and as was noted in the announcement, she isn’t going anywhere as she has agreed to a contract extension with ESPN and will still be broadcasting games alongside Dave Pasch. Even still, it would be interesting to know why ESPN decided to make the change with Legler joining the lead broadcast team.

Regardless, there will be plenty of Burke and Legler doing their normal excellent work as analysts throughout this NBA season.

Shaquille O’Neal frustrated at Kobe Bryant being left out of NBA GOAT conversations​

Plenty of NBA discussions focus on the greatest player of all-time which tends to come down to Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James, but Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal is tired of his teammate Kobe Bryant being left out of these debates.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/tim-legler-replacing-doris-burke-on-espn-top-nba-commentary-team/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Magic Johnson Includes Kobe Bryant & Kareem Abdul-Jabbar On All-Time Lakers List

There is no franchise in the NBA that has had more superstars don their jerseys than the Los Angeles Lakers. Every team has legends of the franchise, but the Lakers’ legends are some of the best to ever step foot on an NBA court like Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James.

As such, trying to list the top five Lakers of all time is an extremely difficult task as no matter who you settle on, you are leaving legit Hall of Famers off the list. But at the recent Dodgers All-Access event, Johnson was asked to do just that.

“Kobe going to be one with Kareem,” Johnson told the crowd of Dodgers fans. “Nobody is like Kobe. His killer mentality, hitting big shots after big shots, but also loved being a Laker, loved playing in Los Angeles. He represented the city. Let’s clap for Kobe. We miss him. Nobody is like Kareem. Oh my goodness, the skyhook. He was so intelligent, basketball IQ off the charts. I just loved playing with Kareem. He’s just awesome.

“And then when you think about the other guys, you have to remember I didn’t play with Wilt, I didn’t play with Jerry. You have to put them in there. Shaq was amazing. So I better say the guys I was able to see, because it would be wrong if I tried to go back. So I would say Kareem, Shaq, Kobe, and when I think about it, you have to put Wilt and Jerry in there. James Worthy would definitely qualify. But you try to do five Lakers, and it’s impossible. Because you’ve got put LeBron now. So I don’t know how you get to five. That’s why if you get all of our Hall of Famers, just like the Dodgers, you put all the Dodgers Hall of Famers against any other team, we would beat them. Just like if you put all the Lakers against any team, we would beat them. That’s how I see it. And never include Lakers without Magic.”

Even with Magic leaving himself off the list, it’s still such a tough exercise to limit it to five Lakers legends. Kobe, Kareem and Shaq certainly seem like no-brainers, but Johnson still had to leave off Worthy, James and Elgin Baylor. But it’s hard to argue with who he put on as West is literally the logo of the NBA and Chamberlain put up numbers that have still yet to be matched.

This history is what makes the Lakers such a special franchise and why it just means a little bit more when you succeed in the purple and gold.

Jeanie Buss believes Luka Doncic has now fully embraced being a member of the Lakers​

The next big superstar to hopefully be added to this amazing list is Luka Doncic, who is set to enter his first full season with the Lakers. And Lakers governor Jeanie Buss, who traveled to Poland to support Doncic at EuroBasket, believes the guard is finally embracing being a member of the franchise after initially being very sad at being traded in the first place.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/magic-johnson-lists-his-top-five-all-time-lakers/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Highlights: Luka Doncic Drops 39 Points But Slovenia Comes Up Short Against France

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic loves to represent his country when it comes to international play and FIBA EuroBasket 2025 is the latest opportunity to do so. However, things have not panned out for Slovenia as they struggled through their exhibition schedule, only winning one game.

Heading into the group stage, they opened up against Poland, where Doncic dropped 34 points, four rebounds, nine assists and five steals. But, those numbers were not enough as they lost 105-95.

Looking to bounce back from a tough loss, a solid France team awaited with NBA talent in Alex Sarr, Zacharie Risacher, Bilal Coulibaly and Guerschon Yabusele. Unfortunately, Slovenia suffered another defeat as the French put together an impressive second half after trailing 54-47 at halftime. They outscored Slovenia by 15 in the second half to drop Doncic’s team to 0-2 in group play.

To no surprise, Doncic was the leading scorer for his squad with 39 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and two steals. He was not as efficient in this contest, shooting 8-for-20 from the field, but shot 4-for-10 from 3-point range and made 19 of his 20 free throws.

ABSOLUTE THRILLER

France

hold onto the late lead to take Slovenia

down!

#EuroBasket pic.twitter.com/PhtcfHhRQD

— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) August 30, 2025

Luka gave it his all

Flirting with triple-double, Luka Magic had another stellar performance against France

#EuroBasket pic.twitter.com/16WmJRycsr

— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) August 30, 2025

Getting to the free throw line has always been a strength of Doncic’s, but seeing him do it in FIBA play, which traditionally is more physical, is definitely impressive.

Despite Doncic doing everything he could, it’s clear that he doesn’t have enough help to beat a team like France, who is one of the favorites in the tournament. They held on for three quarters before France pulled away at the end.

Sylvain Francisco dominated the Slovenians with 32 points, shooting 60% from the field and 12-for-12 from the free throw line. Behind Francisco, there were four other French players in double figures compared to just three total for Slovenia.

What’s next for Luka Doncic and Slovenia​

There are three more group play games remaining for Luka Doncic and Slovenia and they next match up with Belgium on Sunday in the a second of a back-to-back. They game is scheduled to start a 5 a.m. PT and will give Doncic and his teammates a quick opportunity to bounce back and pick up their first win in group play.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/fiba-eurob...s-but-slovenia-comes-up-short-against-france/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers News: Mets Pitcher David Peterson Pays Tribute To Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant’s impact on the sports world was undeniable even before his tragic passing in 2020. But in the five-and-a-half years since, it’s become even more apparent just how beloved the Los Angeles Lakers legend was. Not just in the world of basketball, but across all sports, cities and athletes of various backgrounds.

Take New York Mets pitcher David Peterson, for example. Peterson is from Denver, Colorado, attended the University of Oregon, was drafted by the New York Mets as a pitcher and has spent his entire career up to this point in Queens. But on Saturday, he was yet another Kobe fan.

The Mets starter took the mound on Saturday against the Miami Marlins with a Kobe-themed glove, via SNY:

David Peterson is pitching with a Kobe Bryant-themed glove today pic.twitter.com/ZwzXLD3XCR

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 30, 2025

The glove has gold stitching all throughout with a purple and gold Nike swoosh and an 8/24 in gold. All of this is a shoutout to Bryant and the Lakers, despite having never lived or played in Los Angeles or California at all in his career. It was also a home game against the Marlins, showing that this was truly out of reverence for Bryant.

Peterson — who has been having a really solid season for the Mets — unfortunately had one of his worst outings this season, giving up eight earned runs in two innings of action. The eight runs are another tribute to Bryant, in a way.

Magic Johnson reveals favorite Kobe Bryant moment​

It is hard to nail down a favorite moment from Kobe Bryant’s career as he had plenty during his 20 years with the Lakers. Magic Johnson was recently asked about his personal favorite at the Dodgers All-Access event on Thursday and he contemplated a few iconic moments.

In what felt like a storybook moment, Bryant’s farewell game put the cherry on top of an accolade-filled career. While it may not be the flashiest, he put up 60 points and clearly left it all on the floor, giving fans on last show.

Johnson ultimately decided that this game was his favorite Bryant story, although there were plenty of options to choose from.

“Where do we start? Is it the 81 points? I would say my favorite was the last game,” Johnson told the crowd of Dodgers fans. “Hurt, not all the way there, remember the Achilles, and so if you were there or watching it on TV, the second half, the whole crowd did not sit down. Remember? And he kept scoring and scoring. And we kept going crazy and crazier. And it got louder. We said, ‘Man, he got to 50? Kobe scored 50?’ And he kept going! I’ve never seen a guy end his career in the fashion that Kobe ended his career that last game.”

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-news-mets-pitcher-david-peterson-pays-tribute-to-kobe-bryant/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Highlights: Luka Doncic Leads Slovenia To First Win Of Group Stage Vs. Belgium

The story for Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic at EuroBasket was eerily similar between Slovenia’s first two group stage games. Doncic performed remarkably well — as he always does in international play — but he didn’t have enough help, losing to Poland and France.

That made Sunday’s battle against Belgium something of a must-win, as Slovenia must finish in the top four of Group D in order to move on to the knockout rounds.

Against Belgium, Doncic did not cross into the 30-point mark as he did in his first two games. But he didn’t have to, as he was an elite distributor and all-around superstar as Slovenia cruised to an easy 86-69 win over Belgium. Doncic recorded a triple-double, the fifth in recorded EuroBasket history.

The Lakers and Slovenian superstar finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists with three steals. He went 9-for-23 from the field, but much of that struggle came from 3-point range, where he finished 2-of-11.

Who is stopping Luka Doncic?

He led his Slovenia to their first win in #EuroBasket with a triple-double outing

pic.twitter.com/YTN3me4xtk

— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) August 31, 2025

Doncic and Slovenia were in command the whole way, leading for nearly the entirety of the game. The first basket was Belgium’s only lead of the game. Luka had seven of Slovenia’s 16 first quarter points and 19 of their 43 points at halftime.

Belgium was seen as an easier win for Doncic and Slovenia as they are one of the teams at EuroBasket without any NBA representation. They were led on the scoreboard with 15 points by Andy van Vliet and 13 points from Emmanuel LeComte.

Slovenia is now in a four-way tie for first place of Group D with four points. However, France (2-0) and Poland (2-0) have yet to play their third game and will earn at least one extra point once they do. Israel (1-1) is also yet to play their third game and will tie Slovenia with a loss or pass them with a win.

What’s next for Luka Doncic and Slovenia​

There are two games remaining in the group stages for Doncic and Slovenia. Their next match up is with Iceland, which tips on Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. PT. Iceland is 0-2 and at the bottom of Group D currently, and a win against them would give Slovenia very good positioning heading into the final game of the group.

They currently have a point differential of minus-1, something to keep an eye on with tiebreakers being a likely factor.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/fiba-eurob...venia-to-first-win-of-group-stage-vs-belgium/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Pau Gasol ‘Super Excited’ For Lakers Season With Luka Doncic Leading Way

The Los Angeles Lakers have essentially always been led by one of the NBA’s superstar players. From Jerry West, to Magic Johnson, to Kobe Bryant, to LeBron James, a superstar in purple and gold was a regular sight. But Luka Doncic represents one of the first Lakers superstars to hail from Europe. The Slovenian megastar joins Pau Gasol in that regard.

Gasol was the first true Lakers star from Europe. The Spaniard was traded from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Lakers at the trade deadline in 2008, and he proceeded to lead — alongside Bryant — L.A. to three consecutive NBA Finals appearances and two championships. Gasol’s No. 16 jersey now hangs in the rafters next to Bryant’s.

In 2025, the Lakers made a familiar move, acquiring Doncic in a shocking deal at the deadline to massively improve L.A.’s championship odds. And Gasol, while sitting courtside at an L.A. Sparks game, spoke about his excitement to have Luka in town, via Spectrum SportsNet:

“It’s great. Obviously, we were all thrilled, shocked and excited last season when the trade happened. It’s great to have Luka in a Lakers uniform and having the anchor for the next many years to come. Super excited for the team, seeing how we can take advantage of the team right now and try to have another run at it.”

Gasol is a Laker for life, meaning their trade for Doncic was a win for him as well. Beyond just extending the Lakers championship window for years to come and bringing one of the best players in the league to Los Angeles, it gives L.A. another European superstar to carry on Gasol’s legacy.

The Lakers Hall of Famer is surely going to be a regularly-seen figure around the team in big moments over the next generation of L.A. basketball, and Luka will be at the forefront of that.

Luka Doncic hopes to learn defensive tricks from Marcus Smart​

Luka Doncic got into the best shape of his career this offseason and looks prepared to put on a show during the 2025-26 season.

Doncic was criticized on his way out from the Dallas Mavericks for his perceived lack of seriousness regarding his diet and conditioning, so the Lakers star took it upon himself to transform his body. As an added bonus for Los Angeles, Doncic made sure to do his part in signing key free agents to give him a better chance of capturing his first NBA title.

For example, Doncic took an active role in recruiting Marcus Smart after he was bought out by the Washington Wizards. Smart noted that Doncic’s recruitment helped sway him to Los Angeles and meant a lot the veteran.

When asked about the defensive side specifically, Doncic took the opportunity to crack a joke about Smart helping him out.

“I think way better. Obviously we added Marcus, so he’s gonna teach me some things but obviously that’s gonna help a lot.”

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/pau-gasol-super-excited-for-lakers-season-with-luka-doncic-leading-way/

 

[Los Angeles Lakers]

Lakers Video: Nike Releases LeBron James ‘Forever King’ Ad For New Shoes

LeBron James is less than two months away from doing something that no player in the history of the NBA has ever done before. He is about to suit up for his 23rd season — his eighth with the Los Angeles Lakers — and play his age-41 campaign. Not only that, but he is doing so as undoubtedly one of the best players in basketball still, coming off an All-NBA Second Team selection.

James is also arguably the league’s most popular player. Even at 40 entering his 23rd season, it feels as though the league revolves around the Lakers superstar, ranking towards the top of jersey sales and incredible viral highlights throughout the season. In addition to this, he has one of basketball’s most iconic sneaker lines with Nike.

As LeBron and Nike prepare for the Forever King tour, they have released a teaser for the newest sneaker — the LeBron XXIII — with the forever king tagline:

He is the Forever King.

The LeBron XXIII arrives soon. Prepare to behold the greatness. pic.twitter.com/ovSMUdSVM8

— Nike Basketball (@nikebasketball) September 1, 2025

At this stage of his career, any sneaker that James releases is going to have some sort of historical significance. He is simply in uncharted territory when it comes to career length, ability and accolades. Nobody in league history has played this well for this long and reached his career figures.

So when the LeBron XXIII is ultimately released, it’s sure to be a hit among sneakerheads who want to have a piece of history when the Lakers star takes the court for his record 23rd campaign.

Details of the LeBron James’ Nike LeBron XXIII​

A new colorway of LeBron James’ shoe is called “40K Points” and it is set to drop on Oct. 3 to honor the historic day of James making a milestone in basketball history. This release features both adult and kid sizes, retailing for $210.

What makes this colorway special is a metallic, iridescent upper that changes between gold, orange and green. It also includes James’ crown emblem along the side panel, his signature engraved in gold on the tongue and a “40K” badge stitched at the heel.

Lastly, the shoes are included in special packaging to separate it from different releases, adding to that commemorative feel. Inside the box will be unique memorabilia, including a timeline booklet focusing on the star’s key moments leading up to his journey to 40,000 points and a “40K” pin packaged in a velvet pouch.

Overall, it’s a nice touch from Nike to celebrate James climbing the mountaintop of the NBA and reward for fans to get their hands on a commemorative pair of LeBron 23s.

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Source: https://lakersnation.com/lakers-video-nike-releases-lebron-james-forever-king-ad-for-new-shoes/