Lakers star LeBron James complains about flying to Milwaukee for a preseason recreation

LeBron James isn’t proud of the Los Angeles Lakers’ preseason schedule.

Whereas 5 of their six video games are manageable, it was this week’s fast journey from Southern California to Milwaukee that appeared to set the 39-year-old off. James took to social media Wednesday morning forward of the workforce’s practically four-hour flight from Los Angeles to Milwaukee for a preseason recreation with the Bucks on Thursday.

“Can somebody please clarify to me why we’re getting on a [plane] and heading to Milwaukee for one preseason recreation!?!?” he wrote, earlier than including that he was “stunned” at himself for even getting on the airplane.

Naturally, the Bucks couldn’t assist however reply.

It was Greg, although, who had the most effective rebuttal.

To begin with, it’s not like James and the Lakers are flying commercially right here. They’re taking a chartered workforce flight that may go on to Milwaukee, which makes the roughly 1,750-mile journey as straightforward because it probably may very well be.

And secondly, it’s not just like the Lakers are the one workforce touring for preseason video games. The Bucks simply performed a preseason recreation in Detroit, for instance, they usually’ll head to Dallas for a recreation in opposition to the Mavericks subsequent week. The Boston Celtics, who received the NBA title final season, flew to Abu Dhabi for a pair of preseason video games in opposition to the Denver Nuggets earlier this month. That’s a roughly 6,700-mile journey a method. The Celtics may also fly to Toronto for a recreation in opposition to the Raptors subsequent week.

The NBA doesn’t management groups’ preseason schedules, both. The Lakers constructed their very own, and there’s no minimal quantity of video games required to be performed. Groups are allowed to play as much as six. They’re touring to Milwaukee this preseason as a part of a home-and-home preseason sequence after the Bucks traveled to Los Angeles for a recreation final October.

However in James’ protection, all six of the Lakers’ preseason video games are away from Crypto.com Enviornment — which is at the moment present process renovations. That’s additionally quickly displaced the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, who will open their common season with seven straight highway video games.

The Lakers opened their preseason with a pair of video games in Palm Desert, which sits about two hours east of downtown Los Angeles. After getting back from their recreation at Fiserv Discussion board, the Lakers will shut the preseason with a recreation in opposition to the Golden State Warriors in Las Vegas, a recreation on the Phoenix Suns after which a remaining recreation in opposition to the Warriors in San Francisco.

“Not a great preseason for us,” Lakers coach JJ Redick mentioned Tuesday about their journey schedule, by way of ESPN.

So whereas he could not prefer it, the Lakers’ journey to Milwaukee isn’t out of the unusual by any means.

James and the Lakers will formally open their season Oct. 22 at Crypto.com Enviornment. It’s going to mark James’ twenty second within the league, which matches an all-time file, and his first season taking part in together with his son, Bronny, whom the Lakers chosen within the second spherical of the draft earlier this summer season. They are going to turn out to be the first father-son duo in historical past to play in an official NBA recreationas soon as they take the courtroom collectively this season.