LA Lakers News Roundup: Dates revealed for several marquee matchups, film director compares the Purple and Gold to "The Godfather," and more - August 17th, 2022

LeBron James of the LA Lakers against Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors
LeBron James of the LA Lakers against Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors

LA Lakers fans are already looking forward to their next campaign as a few key dates for the upcoming season have been leaked. Many fans, including LeBron James superfan Shannon Sharpe, are predicting that the Lakers will be motivated to win their opener after watching Golden State's ring ceremony.

Additionally, the date of the first battle of LA has been revealed by The Athletic's Shams Charania. The game, scheduled for Oct. 20, will obviously take place at Crypto.com Arena but it hasn't been revealed which team will be the home team.

Let's take a look at a few more news stories around the Purple and Gold in the last 24 hours.

Dates revealed for Darvin Ham's return to Milwaukee and LeBron James' return to Cleveland

Former teammates Kevin Love and LeBron James embrace after the Lakers visit Cleveland.
Former teammates Kevin Love and LeBron James embrace after the Lakers visit Cleveland.

Certain dates for the upcoming season have been revealed, and two dates stand out for Lakers fans: road games in Milwaukee and Cleveland. Darvin Ham was a coach with the Bucks before accepting the head coaching job with the Lakers, and LeBron James is a Cavaliers legend.

As reported by The Athletic's Jovan Buha, Ham will visit Milwaukee for the first time on Dec. 2, and King James will return to his home state on Dec. 6. The game against the Cavaliers will be broadcast nationally on TNT.

LA Lakers docuseries director compares organization to The Godfather

Hollywood film director and producer Antoine Faqua
Hollywood film director and producer Antoine Faqua

Antoine Faqua is directing a docuseries on Hulu titled "Legacy: The True Story about the LA Lakers" and has compared the organization to "The Godfather" and "Succession."

Faqua has worked with notable actors on several projects such as "Training Day," "Olympus Has Fallen," "The Equalizer" and others. He directed and co-produced "What's My Name: Muhammad Ali" with LeBron James, a documentary about the legendary boxer.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he compared the Lakers organization to the family business in "The Godfather":

"I got a call about if I wanted to do a Lakers documentary. I’m a Lakers fan, and I’m really good friends with Earvin (Magic Johnson). So my instinct was to say yes, but how do you tell that story?
"Then, I got on the phone with (Lakers owner) Jeanie (Buss) and Linda (Rambis, Lakers executive), and then it just hit me that this is like 'The Godfather' or 'Succession.'"

Faqua continued:

"It’s about a guy who’s trying to build something for his family. And then how the business of business can really become a disease where the money and fame start to eat at the family until you forget what you did it for to begin with. But then ultimately you have to get back to family in order to survive."

LA Lakers' first matchup with the Brooklyn Nets leaked

LeBron James of the LA Lakers against Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets
LeBron James of the LA Lakers against Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets

The LA Lakers and Brooklyn Nets is a pseudo-rivalry created by the fans and media because it features five of the league's biggest stars. Those are LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis. Whenever these two teams face off, it is a blockbuster showdown. They faced off on Christmas Day last season.

According to the New York Post's Brian Lewis, the two star-studded teams will play on Nov. 13, and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Nobody knows what the Nets roster will look like when the season begins, so there is little hope from this matchup. There is a strong chance Kevin Durant will not play for the Nets and Kyrie Irving will don a new jersey as well.

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Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein