LeBron James will make his Los Angeles Lakers debut against the Portland Trail Blazers, and the eyes of the basketball world will be watching.
The eyes of the basketball world will be on Portland, Oregon, where LeBron James, the King of the NBA, will take his new team, the Los Angeles Lakers, into Rip City to take on a Portland Trail Blazer team that is a confusing as they are talented.
In the offseason, King James spared the suspense of many when free agency opened up, as he decided to take his talents to the legendary Lakers, signing a 4-year, $154 million deal and promising to bring the luster of the Purple & Gold back after a few down years.
LeBron will be LeBron, but looking at his supporting cast, it remains to be seen of King James’ first year in Hollywood will be as successful as he hopes. Regardless, though, LeBron should make the Lakers a playoff team, and in Year One of the LeBron Era, that’s all Lakers fans want to hear.
The same can’t be said about their season-opening opponent, the Trail Blazers.
This is a team that seems to have more questions than answers, especially after they were swept by the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs last season. There have been some grumblings that Damian Lillard, the face of the franchise, is unhappy with the direction of the team, and that’s not good for a squad who will have to battle through the ultra-tough Western Conference.
Lakers at Trail Blazers live stream details
Date: Thursday, Oct. 18
Time: 10:30 p.m EST/7:30 p.m. PST
Location: Portland, OR
Venue: Moda Center at the Rose Quarter
TV Info: TNT
Live Stream: TNT Watch Live, FuboTV (seven-day free trial), NBA League Pass (three-hour post-game)
Weighing on the Blazers minds and hearts is the death of their longtime owner, Paul Allen, and it will, surely, be an emotional night at the Moda Center. Make no mistake, however, that all eyes will be on LeBron James and the Lakers, as everyone will see if this team will have what it takes to reign in the West once again.