Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is excited for the team's NBA season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers.
James and the Lakers will open their campaign against their crosstown rival, the Clippers — led by Kawhi Leonard — in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
The three-time NBA champion is coming off a difficult first season in LA, where a groin injury restricted him to 55 games as the Lakers missed the playoffs for the sixth successive campaign.
James — who failed to appear in the postseason for the first time since 2004-05 — cannot wait to get started against the Clippers.
"Opening night is great. It's like the first day of school," James told reporters Sunday.
"Laying your clothes out the night before. Just that excitement of getting things back going.
READ | Raptors, Pascal Siakam agree to multi-year extension: reports
"I love to play the game. I obviously had the longest lay-off of my career, so to be where I'm at physically and mentally, no matter who we opened up against. For everybody, Tuesday is a great day."
Danny Green is one of the new faces on the Lakers, whose offseason was headlined by the recruitment of All-Star Anthony Davis.
Green teamed up with Leonard last season to lead the Toronto Raptors to its maiden NBA championship before moving to the Lakers, while the latter joined the Clippers.
"Everybody's excited to get the season started, but we know we're nowhere near where we want to be at — most teams aren't," Green said. "So, even though it's regular season, these games are going to be very much like preseason games.
"We just try to get better and win as we're getting better and getting to learn each other — learn the systems, learn our identity and also how to play other teams and other team's identity.
"But we're excited from all angles: From the players, to the coaches, to staff to the fans and we're going to have some fun with it but we're not nowhere where we want to be."
Comments
SHARE