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

LeBron James isn’t pleased with 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 group’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 aircraft.

Naturally, the Bucks couldn’t assist however reply.

It was Greg, although, who had the perfect rebuttal.

To begin with, it’s not like James and the Lakers are flying commercially right here. They’re taking a chartered group 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 group 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 gained 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 can even fly to Toronto for a recreation in opposition to the Raptors subsequent week.

The NBA doesn’t management group’s 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 collection 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 Area — 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 street 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 coming 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 with a last 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, via ESPN.

So whereas he might not prefer it, the Lakers’ journey to Milwaukee isn’t out of the odd in any respect.

James and the Lakers will formally open their season Oct. 22 at Crypto.com Area. It would mark James’ twenty second within the league, which matches an all-time report, and his first season taking part in together with his son, Bronny, who the Lakers selected in the second round of the draft earlier this summer time. They are going to turn out to be the first father-son duo to play in an official NBA game in history as soon as they take the courtroom collectively this season.