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LeBron James and
Anthony Davis will make their preseason debuts on Wednesday when
the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers meet the Phoenix Suns.
James and Davis sat out the Lakers' first two preseason games
and will take the court for the first time since Game 6 of the
NBA Finals on Oct. 11 when the Lakers finished off the Miami
Heat to claim the NBA title.
"I do plan on playing AD and LeBron some first-half minutes, but
just to kind of get their feet wet," Lakers coach Frank Vogel
told reporters. "I just want to see them go out and try to get a
rhythm."
The Lakers are 2-0 in the preseason.
Both stars inked extensions in the offseason. James signed a
two-year $85 million extension while AD signed on with a
five-year, $190 million deal. Davis, acquired in July 2019 from
the New Orleans Pelicans, opted out of the final year of his
contract -- worth $28.7 million -- to become a free agent in the
days after the Lakers won the NBA championship in Orlando.
Davis was 10th in the NBA in scoring at 26.1 points per game and
averaged 9.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 2019-20 with the
Lakers. With the Pelicans in 2018-19, he averaged 25.9 points,
12.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
James, who turns 36 on Dec. 30, averaged 25.3 points, an
NBA-leading 10.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds in 67 games last
season. The 16-time All-Star and four-time Most Valuable Player
won his fourth NBA championship, earning Finals MVP honors
against the Miami Heat.
The Lakers open their title defense on Dec. 22 against the
Dallas Mavericks.
--Field Level Media
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