"I play hard, I give it my all every night": Lakers' new signing Jake LaRavia wins hearts with strong statement ahead of playing with LeBron and Luka

The LA Lakers have been busy this offseason, building around LeBron James and Luka Doncic. After adding Deandre Ayton, they signed forward Jake LaRavia, who was presented to the media on Tuesday.

After signing a four-year $14.7 million rookie contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, LaRavia had a club option in his contract, which the Sacramento Kings declined, allowing him to enter free agency. However, he didn't have to wait long to find a team, as the Lakers snapped him up on a two-year, $12 million contract.

Lakers reporter Mike Trudell shared LaRavia's statement from his presentation on X (formerly Twitter) as the forward shared his thoughts about playing alongside LeBron James and Luka Doncic.

"I play hard. I give it my all every night. Whether I’m making shots or missing shots, the one thing I can control every game is bringing that energy. ... I’ve always been that type of player that doesn’t give up on plays. I just love basketball," LaRavia said.

His words won the hearts of Lakers fans.

"Love it," one reacted.

"Super," commented another.

After Pacific rivals Sacramento Kings decided against signing Ravia, the Lakers moved quickly to sign the 23-year-old. Drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies as the 19th overall pick in the 2022 draft, LaRavia has grown steadily in the three years since then.

Playing 35 games each in his first two seasons, LaRavia made 47 appearances last term before being traded to the Kings as a part of a three-team trade. In Sacramento, the youngster played 19 games, recording 6.1 PPG and 2.1 RPG.

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Luka Doncic opens up about playing alongside LeBron James

Luka Doncic being traded to the Lakers was one of the biggest stories of the 2024-25 NBA season. Despite their brief stint together, the duo developed an excellent understanding, guiding the Lakers to a top-three finish in the regular season.

On the Mind the Game podcast, Doncic opened up on playing alongside James.

"It's great, I never played with a guy like this, just being traded to LA was different, to play guys like him is unbelievable."

He highlighted a trait that differentiates LeBron James from other players.

"Well first of all, he shows up like 10 hours before the game. … I came to the arena and he was already done working out. I was like, ‘What?’," Doncic said.

With Deandre Ayton joining ahead of the new season, the Lakers will be one of the favorites to challenge the OKC Thunder in the West.