What Will the Lakers Look Like With LeBron James?

LeBron James is a Los Angeles Laker. It still sounds a little strange, right?

But it will all become officially official Thursday night when James, a four-time NBA Most Valuable Player and the best player of his generation, makes his regular-season debut for the Lakers when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers.

Even at 33, and with 15 seasons behind him, James is still capable of commanding the spotlight like no other player in the game. He made huge headlines in July when he announced that he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers in free agency to sign a four-year, $154 million contract with the Lakers.

With the move, James instantly vaulted the Lakers — a team that has fallen on hard times in recent seasons — back into the playoff picture. But nobody is expecting this team to immediately vie for a championship, not even with the presence of James, who has led teams to three titles in his career.

The Lakers, as currently constructed, are an odd team, full of young players with promise (Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram), older players with curious pasts (Michael Beasley, Lance Stephenson) and one transcendent star. Which is why a lot of people will be tuning in to watch Thursday’s game with great interest: What, exactly, will this team look like?

James is one of the league’s most competitive players, and he has never been known to be the most patient guy: He wants to win, and win now. Throughout the preseason, he has emphasized that he knows it will take time for this team to find chemistry. But what if the Lakers struggle to a slow start? How long before James lets his frustration show?

Then again, most fans have seen enough by now to doubt James at their own peril. He has led lesser teams on deep runs in the playoffs. Whatever happens this season, the Lakers will be an endless source of intrigue.

At the same time, James’ shift westward has cemented his long personal history with California. As a teenager, James made several trips to the Los Angeles area, including one with his high school teammates from Akron, Ohio, to play in a nationally televised game at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion. The game was a total spectacle, and James was the main attraction: a teenage phenom on the cusp of international celebrity. A few months later, he jumped to the NBA.

Over the years, James has put down roots in Los Angeles, buying a pair of homes and opening an office on the lot at Warner Bros., as he looked to make inroads in Hollywood. He is already something of an entertainment mogul, with multiple film and television projects in the works.

For now, though, he has been clear that his primary focus is on basketball — and on leading the Lakers, one of the league’s most storied franchises, back to the top.