LeBron James and Anthony Davis will be back in the Lakers preseason lineup very soon.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported that both James and Davis would play in Sunday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns.
This will be the first game in which the two play under head coach JJ Redick. This will be James’ 22nd season and Davis’ 13th .
Neither veteran played in the Lakers first preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Los Angeles lost that game 124-107 and were led by Austin Reaves and Dalton Knecht, who each contributed 16 points.
That doesn’t mean James and Davis are out of playing shape. The two have obviously been participants in the Lakers training camp and also were on the U.S. Men’s Basketball team at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The U.S. won its fifth consecutive gold medal and James was named the Olympic MVP for his performance.
The two will hope to take that momentum into the 2024-25 season and help the Lakers improve on a 47-35 season from 2023-24. James averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds in 71 games last season while Davis averaged 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 76 games.
The preseason debut against the Suns is set to tip-off at 9:30 p.m. ET.