Lakers tip-off 2025-26 regular season
LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Lakers open their regular season Tuesday night at home against the Golden State Warriors. It signals a changing of the guard with Luka Dončić, who is expected to take over the team's leadership role while LeBron James plays out what's left of his 23 career.
What we know:
LeBron James' 23rd season will soon tip off with no promise of a future and follows an uncharacteristically quiet offseason. No cryptic tweets and no workout posts. It's been silence in a city that lives for noise. Now, it's his body doing the talking.
"King James" won't take the court on opening night, which is the first time he's ever missed one. A 23rd season defying father time, and finally, he's collecting interest. Enter Luka Dončić, the prodigy, turned franchise pillar, who spent the summer chiseling away both weight and doubt. By every account, including his own, the international superstar is in the best shape of his career.
On Media Day, Doncic said his goal is to play as much as possible.
"Just trying to help the team, you know, condition wise. You know, obviously playing a lot of minutes, a lot of games, so I think that's gonna be the best for me," he said.
And the Lakers built around that idea. They brought in defense, toughness, and balance. They addressed the center problem, acquiring DeAndre Ayton, a physical presence who can roam the paint. They loaded perimeter defense with Marcus Smart. They added versatility by way of Jake LaRavia and pieces that fit Luka's rhythm more than LeBron's command. Front office voices are louder now, while LeBron's once infinite influence has been dialed down. That is the subtext of this season: LeBron, still the icon, but no longer the architect.
This isn't a breakup, it's evolution in real time.
Luka's drive colliding with LeBron's mortality. Lakers standing right at the fault line. Will LeBron's body and legacy survive one more run? Can Luka carry the weight of LA's impossible standard? Whatever the answers, a season of significant change is about to begin.
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