Players

none

lalnkioski

USA Basketball announced today the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team, which will compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, set for July 26-Aug. 11, 2024. The team was selected by USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director Grant Hill and approved by the USA Basketball Board of Directors.

In addition to Davis and James, the 2024 USA Men’s National Team features Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), Jrue Holiday (Boston Celtics), Kawhi Leonard (L.A. Clippers) and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics).

The squad boasts a combined 11 Olympic appearances and owns 10 Olympic gold medals as well as three FIBA World Cup titles. In total, the U.S. will take 12 NBA All-Stars, four NBA MVPs and six NBA champions to Paris.

James, who has scored 273 points (3rd all-time among Americans) in the Olympics, will compete in his fourth Games and first since 2012. He won gold in 2008 and 2012 and made his Olympics debut in 2004 (bronze). James also owns a 2007 FIBA Tournament of the Americas gold medal.

Anthony Davis (2012) is also a gold medalist and is part of a group that has gone 34-4 in Olympic competition since James’ debut in 2004.

The 2024 USA Men’s National Team will be led by head coach Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors), who is assisted by Mark Few (Gonzaga University), Tyronn Lue (L.A. Clippers) and Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat). Last summer, the quartet coached the 2023 USA Basketball Men’s National Team to a fourth-place finish at the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup in Manila.

USA Basketball will commence training camp on July 6 in Las Vegas. Following the game vs. Canada, the Americans will embark on an international training window that begins when the USA hosts Australia and Serbia on July 15 and 17, respectively, at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

The USA Basketball Showcase continues at London’s O2 Arena when the USA men take on the national teams of South Sudan on July 20 and Germany on July 22, followed by a tilt between the USA women and Germany on July 23.

The USA officially qualified for the Paris Games as one of the top two nations from the FIBA Americas zone at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in September. The American men will compete for their fifth straight – and 17th overall – Olympic gold medal.

As part of Group C, the American men will face Serbia on July 28, South Sudan on July 31 and the winner of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Puerto Rico on Aug. 3 in the first round of the Olympic tournament. The 5-on-5 Olympic basketball group phase will take place in Lille, France, before the tournament moves to Paris for knockout and medal rounds.

lebron-james-and-anthony-davis-named-to-2024-usa-basketball-mens-national-team

LeBron James and Anthony Davis Named to 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team

lalswong

lebrons-post-all-star-break-tear

LeBron's Post All-Star Break Tear

Taylor Geas

Returning to a place can be startling. You’re met by the realization that not much has changed, but you’ve changed entirely.  D’Angelo Russell arrived in Los Angeles at 19 years old as a rookie on the Lakers. He was a decent three-point shooter with playmaking potential who averaged 1.5 steals a game. Nine seasons later, he’s an assassin from the arc; he’ll make you pay from all over the floor as he’s been hitting 45.9% of shots from the field this season. And his playmaking is no longer just potential. His passing has become a legitimate craft as he averages 7.1 assists, one percent less than his teammate and the NBA’s fourth all-time leader in dimes, LeBron James.   

Russell first became a Laker ten years ago when Los Angeles picked him second overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. He was traded after two seasons and bounced around the league between three different teams until last year when he returned to the Lakers during the most active trade deadline in the team’s History.  The lefty point guard rejoined Los Angeles and was an avid contributor in changing the trajectory of the Lakers season from a team that originally had a .3% chance of making the Playoffs to a team that forged their way into the Western Conference Finals. Even so, when this year’s free agency period rolled around, people outside of Russell's orbit speculated about his future. He was unflappable. He was stone cold. Russell said, “I don't care at all. I’m going to show up to work. That’s it. I can’t control that my contract makes sense to be traded. I can’t control that. I can just play.”  Eventually in life you realize there are only so many constants, only so many things you can control, only so many things you can find stability in. And for Russell, his constant has always been playing basketball. “I know my credibility,” Russell confirmed. “I know what I’m capable of, I never forget it; I’ll never forget it. My confidence will always be high. And I’ll walk like that, talk like that, and try to play like that too.”   After suffering a tailbone injury that sidelined him for three games at the end of December and early January, Russell hit the floor again on January 7, 2024. From that point until the trade deadline on February 8, 2024, he averaged 22.2 points, 6.4 assists, and shot 44.9% from three-point range. He responded to uncertainty with blatant confidence.  “Nothing changes,” Russell said about how he was feeling after the trade deadline. “Emotionless, still.” The world watched in awe as D’Angelo gave adversity the cold shoulder. He hit scrutiny with the silent treatment. Everyone wondered “How?” Was his performance ruled by frustration? Inspired by proving people wrong? Everyone asked “DLo” for answers, but his response was simple, “I can always control my own energy,” he said. “It’s just coming in and playing hard, I don’t think there’s a play you can draw up to play hard. For me, it’s continuing to chip away day by day, it’s just who I am. I play hard, I’ve always played like that. It’s just a part of me I guess.” 

He’s talked a lot about “flow state” this season, a mode where the body and mind are connected, focused beyond the point of distraction. Russell explained how he enters this mode often on the floor. It’s a place where he feels nothing and thinks about nothing. He used to be a player who overprepared, overwatched film, overthought, overshot. He used to be a player who tried to outthink the game. But he recently began studying psychology, specifically flow state, and now he’s a player who finds composure and confidence in preparation.  “Honestly there’s no thought, there’s no extra will,” he said. “I’ve just found a pocket that I can reach my flow state around these guys in the game. When I’m out there I’m not thinking about anything, I’m not thinking about scoring 20 points consecutively, in 12 games, and all that extra, I really just play; these are the results.” D’Angelo carries himself with an evenness. It’s clear he cares about basketball. He cares about his teammates. He cares about hooping. But he doesn’t need validation. He doesn’t let his value waver—ever. That’s hard. But it’s important—a skill most people go their whole lives without practicing. “For me to care about what people say about me now after people have been wrong about me for so long, I don’t care regardless—even for the praise. I just don’t care,” Russell said. With the highs and lows that come with being a professional athlete, Russell’s unapologetic demeanor is something his younger teammates look up to. And where he was once one of those young guys, now he’s a leader on this team.  D’Angelo credits his leadership to that of 2X NBA Champion, Rajon Rondo. Rondo and Russell had the same high school coach, Doug Bibby, back in Louisville, Kentucky. “We come from the same backyard,” Russell explained. Coach Bibby instilled confidence at a young age and “sprinkled the same sauce,” on each of them.  

When D’Angelo was in ninth grade, Rondo used to come to practice and pick him up full court. Rondo left for boarding school the next year, but he had laid the blueprint for young players coming out of Kentucky. “I wanted to follow that,” Russell explained.  He did. DLo’s a pro who recognizes what his teammates need. “I just notice throughout the game or throughout the organization the players that need a little confidence, a little battery in their back. I feel the most confident, good, bad, or in-between kind of games—always. On my way home, I don’t lose confidence. So, finding ways to sprinkle that on young players whenever I can or recognizing when someone might need it, I just keep those words of encouragement going and I keep being selfless, I think it’s contagious,” he said.  D’Angelo’s demeanor has been a big reason he’s forged relationships with his teammates, especially, he and Austin Reaves, who have developed a close friendship. They have similarities in their games, they share a love of golf, and they often do their postgame press conferences as a duo.   “It’s a beautiful thing. I like the way he plays the game,” AR commented on Russell's approach. “He’s one of the smoothest players I’ve ever seen and been around. It’s a testament to what he does when nobody’s watching.” This is D’Angelo Russell. But has it always been? When you return to the place you started, maybe it’s startling because you reflect on how much you’ve changed and because you can see now how everything you’ve achieved has always been inside of you. All the dreams and goals he had a decade ago are real now and he made them happen. Russell launched his own podcast, The Backyard, to share his truth and reflect on his journey. He’s joined the NBA’s 10,000-point club. He’s made Lakers History with the most three-pointers in a season, 208 and counting. And he’s become a father.  Countless times this season, fans have watched Russell scoop up his son, Riley, and have him on his hip while doing the postgame presser. His teammates have been gathered in the locker room and joined by D’Angelo and Riley after the game. Riley’s first birthday party was Lakers themed. His family and basketball, these are his constants right now. Everything else is just noise.  As for what he’ll do next, “I’m preparing myself for what he’s going to see,” D’Angelo said of his son. “I try to prepare myself to be the person I may have not had, or I know that I wanted to have. Everything is based around him now, he’s added structure. I plan out things now and I was never that guy.”  

how-dangelo-russell-brought-unshakeable-confidence-to-the-lakers

How D’Angelo Russell Brought Unshakeable Confidence to the Lakers  

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis has been named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday, March 18, to Sunday, March 24.

Davis guided the purple and gold to a perfect 3-0 week with three 20-point, 15-rebound double-doubles. On the week, the 31-year-old averaged 27.0 points (68.6 FG%, 50.0 3FG%, 72.7 FT%), 16.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.0 blocks as Los Angeles earned home victories over Atlanta, Philadelphia and Indiana.

To begin the stretch on March 18, Davis recorded 22 points (10-14 FG, 1-2 3FG, 1-2 FT), 15 rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block in a 136-105 win over the Hawks. In a 101-94 victory over the Sixers on March 22, Davis posted 23 points (10-16 FG, 1-2 3FG, 2-4 FT), 19 rebounds, four assists and four blocks, good for his second-highest rebounding performance of the season.

Davis finished the week by tallying 36 points (15-21 FG, 1-2 3FG, 5-5 FT), 16 rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block as the Lakers took down the Pacers in Los Angeles’ highest-scoring performance since 1987, 150-145. It marked Davis’ third time this season notching at least 35 points and 15 rebounds in a game and his 40th time doing so in his career, which ranks first among all active players.

In 67 games (all starts) for the Lakers this season, Davis is averaging 24.6 points (55.8 FG%, 81.2 FT%), 12.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.4 blocks in 35.6 minutes. He has recorded 56 double-doubles, including two triple-doubles, and has scored at least 30 points in 17 contests. Davis ranks third in the NBA in rebounds per game and fifth in blocks per contest.

Davis now owns 10 career NBA weekly awards, including five in a Lakers uniform. This marks his first weekly award of the season and first since April 3, 2023.

anthony-davis-named-nba-western-conference-player-of-the-week-032524

Anthony Davis Named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week

Mike Trudell

On Friday night in Los Angeles, D’Angelo Russell set the Lakers franchise record for most 3-pointers made within a single season, drilling his 184th from range with 6:15 left in the first quarter against Philadelphia to surpass Nick Van Exel’s previous mark of 183, set in 1995.Russell went on to hit three more triples to get to 187 total, and has 12 more regular season games to continue to push his record further.“It just feels good to be a part of one of these type of deals,” said Russell. “This franchise is one of the most prestigious, so to have my name just to be a part of it, I’m more than grateful, blessed beyond measures, just want to keep continuing to shatter it if I can to make it hard for the next person.”Heading into Friday’s contest, a 101-94 win with significance as LAL tries to make a push towards the postseason, Russell was averaging 2.9 triples made per game in 6.8 attempts, for an impressive conversion rate of 42.4%. Since the All-Star break, only Phoenix’s Grayson Allen (49.6%) was making a higher percentage amongst those attempting at least 200 from three (47 players).Russell currently ranks 14th in the NBA in made 3’s this season, and of those shooters ahead of him, only Malik Beasley is shooting a better percentage (43.0%).That’s also Russell’s highest career percentage from deep, though he did make more total 3’s in 2018-19, his All-Star season in Brooklyn, when he set the franchise record with 234 makes. Should Russell continue his current pace of around three makes per game, he’d likely fall short of that 234, but he’s had games of nine, six, five and four makes within the last month, and an extended burst to finish the season certainly can’t be counted out.Here’s the new Lakers Top 10 in 3-pointers made:

russell-sets-single-season-3s-record

Russell Sets Single-Season 3’s Record

Lakers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino underwent a successful lumbar microdiscectomy procedure today. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.

jalen-hood-schifino-medical-update-032124

Jalen Hood-Schifino Medical Update

LeBron James has the most 4th Quarter field goals in the league this season, 2023-2024

lebron-james-4th-quarter-king-mix

LeBron James: 4th Quarter King Mix

Lakers forward/center Christian Wood underwent a successful arthroscopic surgical procedure on his left knee today. The procedure was performed by Dr. Kristofer J. Jones at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Further updates will be provided as appropriate.