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LeBron James expressed his excitement on Twitter ahead of making an appearance Saturday in Seattle at Jamal Crawford's Pro-Am event. Some of the most high-profile NBA players have already played in the league. However, James' arrival adds to the buzz surrounding these summer pro-am runs.
Last month, the four-time champion also played in the Drew League alongside DeMar DeRozan in front of a packed gym. He confirmed his availability for the Seattle Pro-Am run in the form of a tweet that read:
"SEATTLE LETS GET IT!! Been over 15+ years since I've been back and played ball! Well the wait is almost over!! The King [emoji] is back @JCrossover."
Jamal Crawford is one of Seattle's biggest basketball icons. He organizes such pro-am events, where he invites some of the biggest NBA names. This provides local hoopers a chance to compete against the best basketball talent in the world.
LeBron James is an inspiration to millions across the globe. For these young hoopers to see him on the court and suit up against him is a lifetime experience. As NBA tickets are generally on the expensive side, not all can afford to make it to the arenas. However, these pro-am runs allow fans to have a similar experience in their local gyms.
Jayson Tatum, Dejounte Murray, Isaiah Thomas, Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero will also play at the event Saturday.
Can LeBron James help the LA Lakers to a deep playoff run next season?
The LA Lakers have made some offseason additions to their roster. They added Juan Toscano-Andreson, Thomas Bryant and Lonnie Walker. Whether the new additions can help the Lakers make a championship run remains to be seen.
One of their biggest mismatches from last season was Russell Westbrook. The point guard has been in the middle of trade rumors this offseason, but the team has not been able to find a destination for him. Amidst all of this, one of their biggest rays of hope is LeBron James.
The four-time champion is entering the 20th season of his career. At 37, he is still one of the most important players on the Lakers roster. He averaged 30.3 points last season, the most for anyone above the age of 35 in NBA history. Despite his brilliance, the Lakers failed to make it to the playoffs.
However, going into the 2022-23 season, LeBron James will be hoping for a better result with the team. He signed a two-year $97.1 million extension recently, and expressed his desire to stay long-term with the team. The extension is welcome news for the Lakers, and could help the storied franchise in their pursuit of yet another championship.
There are a lot of questions when it comes to how the Lakers could look at the start of next season. Regardless, LeBron James will be gunning to lead them to a deep playoff run. He would definitely want to win a few more rings before all is said and done with his career. It remains to be seen if James can achieve that, but one can never count him out as such is the impact he has on the game.
