Is LeBron James playing tonight against the Brooklyn Nets? Latest update from Los Angeles Lakers (Oct. 9)
LeBron James is in his 21st season in the NBA but has not yet suited up for the Los Angeles Lakers in preseason. The Lakers play the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, Oct. 9, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
The Lakers kicked off their preseason against the Golden State Warriors, who fielded Chris Paul and Steph Curry together for the first time. Meanwhile, James opted not to play and let other players get warmed up before the season begins.
While there's no announcement yet about James' status against Brooklyn, the four-time NBA champion is expected to lace up his basketball shoes.
In a recent post by Andraya Carter, James was seen wearing a Las Vegas T-shirt and watching Game 1 of the WNBA Finals between the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces.
"ESPN Sources: LeBron James and several Lakers are expected to attend the Aces-Liberty WNBA Finals Game 1 in Las Vegas on Sunday. James calls DPOY A’ja Wilson his “little sister” and said on Thursday,
“I hope she brings it home.” Lakers play the Nets in Las Vegas 10/9," according to Carter in her post at the social media platform X.
Now that James is in town with the Lakers, he should play against the Nets but he could only register 13-18 minutes of playing time.
Los Angeles Lakers did fairly well in preseason opener without LeBron James
In their first preseason matchup, the Lakers lost to the Warriors, but there was a silver lining to the absence of LeBron James on the roster. With the former league MVP giving a chance for other players to shine, some stepped up to fill the void.
Among those who capitalized on James' absence was Max Christie who logged 24 minutes and dropped 15 points on the Warriors. His scoring output was tied with D'Angelo Russell who had 15 points along with five assists in 15 minutes of playing time.
Newly signed Laker Christian Wood posted five points and four boards but Cam Reddish struggled, going 0-for-4 from the field. Anthony Davis, with 15 points and five boards in 12 minutes of playing time, looks healthy ahead of the new season.
After their game against the Nets, the Lakers will have four games to play in preseason. Their next one will be against the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 12 at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time.