LeBron James leaves Lakers and loaded Western Conference for Philly, Warriors try to contend again

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — LeBron James missed battling with Stephen Curry last season, even reflecting on a visit to Chase Center with the Los Angeles Lakers that their matchups might now be numbered.

Then, the basketball world collectively held its breath anxiously awaiting whether James would join Curry on the Golden State Warriors — but instead he chose the Philadelphia 76ers for his record-extending 24th NBA season.

It's Luka Doncic's chance to be in charge now in Los Angeles, while Curry is committed to making his Warriors a contender again.

Months ago, when James came through the Bay Area on Feb. 28, he shared how much he treasured taking the court with Curry, whether as teammates on the national team or as opponents.

James had just turned 41 and Curry was approaching 38 at the time and missed the game because of a lingering knee injury that kept him out 27 straight games and more than two months down the stretch.

They didn’t face off at all last season, in fact. Those matchups will be missed by both stars — and their international following.

“We actually talked about it a little bit, we both didn’t even realize it,” James said postgame that night. “We haven’t played against each other this year, and I didn’t even realize that until I actually seen him and they pulled me out of the game. Obviously I was hurt early on and then in the last two games he didn’t play. So we never know. We don’t know what the future holds and we don’t know when if we’ll get the opportunity to play against each other, how many more times we’ll get to play against each other. It’s always a pleasure and it’s always an honor just to be in his presence, to be on the floor with him as we have in the past.”

Curry and James have cherished their battles, dating to those four straight NBA Finals meetings from 2015 to 2018 and a special run to the Olympic gold medal two years ago in Paris with Steve Kerr as their coach. Curry and James were even born at the same hospital in Akron, Ohio.

The Pacific Division will definitely look different going into the 2026-27 campaign without James, yet the Lakers still expect to be at the top:

LeBron left the team – and his oldest son – behind in LA to chase another championship in Philadelphia, but the Lakers still believe they can win big with a team that’s now firmly orbiting around Luka Doncic.

The NBA scoring champion is healthy and eager to assume leadership of the Lakers after he missed last season’s playoffs with a hamstring injury. Doncic is teaming up with Austin Reaves in what should be a prolific backcourt, and general manager Rob Pelinka assembled a versatile supporting cast around them with a goal for more continuity over the next few seasons after years of major turnover due to the win-now desperation around James.

Los Angeles’ biggest addition was center Walker Kessler, the rim-protecting, lob-finishing big man Doncic has always wanted. If the Lakers’ top three players can all stay healthy and productive — and if a supporting cast led by Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes turns out to be legit — this team has valid dreams of playing into June.

The 38-year-old Curry is headed into his 18th NBA season and made it clear he would give James a warm welcome. That didn't happen, and general manager Mike Dunleavy faced scrutiny for not doing enough on a roster missing both Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody at least for the early portion of the season as they recover from knee surgeries that prematurely ended their respective seasons.

Sharing the scoring load — and the spotlight — has never been an issue for Curry. It was 10 years ago in July 2016 when Kevin Durant signed with the Warriors and Curry was willing to take a backseat and allow Durant to shine from Day 1 – and they captured two titles together with Durant winning back-to-back NBA Finals MVPs in 2017 and ’18.

Last season was derailed by the loss of Butler to a season-ending right knee injury Jan. 19 against his former Heat team that required surgery .

The Phoenix Suns were one of the NBA’s surprise teams last season, finishing with a 45-37 record and making the first round of the playoffs despite entering the season with low expectations. Second-year coach Jordan Ott returns a big chunk of last year’s team, including five-time All-Star Devin Booker, hard-nosed forward Dillon Brooks and guard Jalen Green. Phoenix acquired forward Miles Bridges in a trade with Charlotte, giving the team a little more size in the frontcourt which was lacking last year. The team’s bench could be a strength with Collin Gillespie, Jordan Goodwin, Rasheer Fleming and Khaman Maluach leading the way.

The Clippers will have their hands full trying to contend in the always tough Western Conference after being slapped with the harshest penalties in league history for violating salary cap circumvention rules. With Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Ivicic Zubac gone from last season’s team, they’ll focus on developing a new core of stars, including rookie Keaton Wagler. Now fully recovered from a foot injury, guard Darius Garland will be counted on to provide floor leadership. Forward Rui Hachimura joins from the Los Angeles Lakers, where he was a standout shooter.

The Kings had to adjust early this season after second-year center Maxime Raynaud suffered a right knee injury in a preseason game against the Warriors on Oct. 10 and was taken off the court in a wheelchair before he left on crutches. The patellar subluxation wasn't as serious as it could have been and the team said he would be evaluated again in about two weeks. But Sacramento is rebuilding again this season, that Beam Team playoff run from three years ago that ended a 16-year playoff drought for the team now a distant memory. The Kings are coming off the second 60-loss season in franchise history and seem to have no viable path to contention in the short term. Sacramento still has two key pieces from the team that reached the playoffs in ’23 and the play-in tournament the following two seasons in Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis. But Sabonis could be on the move if a contender has any interest and the team would love to unload Zach LaVine if anyone is interested in taking on his hefty salary.

AP Sports Writers David Brandt, Josh Dubow, Greg Beacham and Beth Harris contributed to this report.

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