When LeBron James announced he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to play for the Los Angeles Lakers, the entire bottom half of California exhaled a collective sigh of relief. Fans of the historic franchise had been waiting for something like this to happen—their team had been in shambles since the last years of the waning Kobe Bryant era. Many have wondered how The King of Cleveland would embrace his new Los Angeles fans—and by the looks of the outfit he wore to a Summer League game earlier this week, LeBron is all in on the purple and gold.
The NBA’s Summer League is where rookie youngsters and forgotten players alike train (and hopefully show off) for the real-deal season ahead. So LeBron showed up in a strictly supportive capacity. (What a guy!) And boy, did he show up and show out: he came through wearing a gold pair of Laker shorts from Just Don (Don C’s luxury NBA remix label) and paired ‘em with unreleased purple suede Nike Air Zoom Generation sneakers—LeBron's very first signature shoe, first reissued this year. All in all, it's a full-on “I’m a Laker” fashion statement. If you thought LeBron might be feeling ambivalent, or a bit of buyer's remorse after his team signed Lance Stephenson and Javale McGee, you can go ahead and stop thinking that. LeBron decked out in that iconic purple and gold is certainly a welcome sight to Lakers fans new and old.
It’s no secret that LeBron is already a fan of California: he already owns two L.A. homes, his kids love living there, and given the Space Jam 2 rumors, it’s not hard to imagine what other Hollywood-adjacent ambitions James might pursue after his retirement from basketball. But for now, the King seems focused on one thing: his new team. (And based on the surge of LeBron Laker jerseys being sold at record pace, the feeling seems to be mutual.) Only time will tell how living in Los Angeles and being a Laker will influence LeBron’s pregame style in the upcoming season, but you better believe we’ll be watching.
