At the Lakers’ training facility on Monday, Los Angeles tried to launch the Luka Doncic era. LeBron James, in Philadelphia since July on a two-year, $8m deal with the 76ers, was not there. He was, somehow, everywhere.

Head of basketball operations Rob Pelinka set the tone in his opening remarks, thanking James before pivoting to the roster.

“I thought it would be appropriate at the front to express gratitude for the LeBron era here,” Pelinka told reporters.

He described James’s exit as “done amicably, professionally, gracefully.” Then he tried to move the conversation on.

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The players did not always cooperate.

Doncic embraces the burden

Doncic, acquired from Dallas last season, spent the summer rehabbing the hamstring injury that ended his 2025-26 campaign. He arrives at camp fit, unrestricted, and cast as the franchise centrepiece for the first time in Los Angeles.

Speaking about James’s departure, Doncic called playing alongside him “amazing” and a daily source of lessons.

“Obviously it’s a new challenge. I was in this position in my career a lot of times, so it’s not new to me,” Doncic said.

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Austin Reaves, his co-leader on the reshaped roster, offered a simpler line.

“I think you just got to be true to yourself and do what’s comfortable for you,” Reaves said.

Redick’s shot at the old era

Head coach JJ Redick, entering his third season on the Lakers bench, could not quite resist a comparison. Assessing the new squad, he suggested the previous rosters had not fit as neatly as the one in front of him.

“I think we’ve always tried to give our players clearly defined roles, and I think with this group, [it’s] probably the first time in my three years here that I feel like the pieces actually fit together,” Redick said.

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New starting center Walker Kessler, wings Quentin Grimes and Matisse Thybulle, and guard Collin Sexton were among the offseason additions the coach praised.

Bronny wants to be Bronny

The most personal moment came from Bronny James, who spent his first two NBA seasons as his father’s teammate. This season, for the first time in his career, he will not.

“I’ve been doing this for however long, so I think it’s a motivating factor for me just getting up every day and trying to prove myself as Bronny instead of LeBron,” he told reporters.

His father, he said, understood.

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“He’s got his own path and I got my own.”

The Lakers open the preseason at Sacramento on Monday, October 5, and start the regular season away at Golden State on October 21.

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