LA Lakers News Roundup: Dates revealed for several marquee matchups, film director compares the Purple and Gold to "The Godfather," and more - August 17th, 2022
LA Lakers fans are already looking forward to their next campaign as a few key dates for the upcoming season have been leaked. Many fans, including LeBron James superfan Shannon Sharpe, are predicting that the Lakers will be motivated to win their opener after watching Golden State's ring ceremony.
Additionally, the date of the first battle of LA has been revealed by The Athletic's Shams Charania. The game, scheduled for Oct. 20, will obviously take place at Crypto.com Arena but it hasn't been revealed which team will be the home team.
The first Lakers-Clippers game of the 2022-23 NBA season is scheduled for Oct. 20 at Crypto.com Arena, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
LeBron James-Anthony Davis vs. Kawhi Leonard-Paul George again for first time since Dec. 22, 2020.
Let's take a look at a few more news stories around the Purple and Gold in the last 24 hours.
Dates revealed for Darvin Ham's return to Milwaukee and LeBron James' return to Cleveland
Certain dates for the upcoming season have been revealed, and two dates stand out for Lakers fans: road games in Milwaukee and Cleveland. Darvin Ham was a coach with the Bucks before accepting the head coaching job with the Lakers, and LeBron James is a Cavaliers legend.
As reported by The Athletic's Jovan Buha, Ham will visit Milwaukee for the first time on Dec. 2, and King James will return to his home state on Dec. 6. The game against the Cavaliers will be broadcast nationally on TNT.
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham will make his return to Milwaukee when the Bucks host the Lakers on Dec. 2, sources tell @TheAthletic.
The Lakers will also play in Cleveland on Dec. 6 on TNT, sources say.
LA Lakers docuseries director compares organization to The Godfather
Antoine Faqua is directing a docuseries on Hulu titled "Legacy: The True Story about the LA Lakers" and has compared the organization to "The Godfather" and "Succession."
Faqua has worked with notable actors on several projects such as "Training Day," "Olympus Has Fallen," "The Equalizer" and others. He directed and co-produced "What's My Name: Muhammad Ali" with LeBron James, a documentary about the legendary boxer.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he compared the Lakers organization to the family business in "The Godfather":
"I got a call about if I wanted to do a Lakers documentary. I’m a Lakers fan, and I’m really good friends with Earvin (Magic Johnson). So my instinct was to say yes, but how do you tell that story?
"Then, I got on the phone with (Lakers owner) Jeanie (Buss) and Linda (Rambis, Lakers executive), and then it just hit me that this is like 'The Godfather' or 'Succession.'"
While doing research for the Lakers' docuseries, the director found the organization to be very similar to 'The Godfather' and 'Succession.'
lakersnation.com/lakers-docuser… https://t.co/ZEQOCXJntA
Faqua continued:
"It’s about a guy who’s trying to build something for his family. And then how the business of business can really become a disease where the money and fame start to eat at the family until you forget what you did it for to begin with. But then ultimately you have to get back to family in order to survive."
LA Lakers' first matchup with the Brooklyn Nets leaked
The LA Lakers and Brooklyn Nets is a pseudo-rivalry created by the fans and media because it features five of the league's biggest stars. Those are LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis. Whenever these two teams face off, it is a blockbuster showdown. They faced off on Christmas Day last season.
According to the New York Post's Brian Lewis, the two star-studded teams will play on Nov. 13, and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Nobody knows what the Nets roster will look like when the season begins, so there is little hope from this matchup. There is a strong chance Kevin Durant will not play for the Nets and Kyrie Irving will don a new jersey as well.
#Lakers are reportedly scheduled to host the Nets on Nov. 13. Which uniform will Kyrie Irving be wearing? 🤔
lakersnation.com/lakers-schedul… https://t.co/3gFnwyyeKa