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The phenomenon known as Media Day — when NBA teams pull on their uniforms, pose for photos and field questions from reporters on the eve of their first training camp practices of the season — happens on Monday for 25 of the league’s 30 teams. (Brooklyn, New York, New Orleans, Phoenix and Philadelphia all had Media Day last week and were allowed to start their camps early to prepare for overseas preseason games.)
Some of the storylines to watch on Monday:
The Los Angeles Lakers star is going to break Vince Carter’s record and play in his 23rd NBA season, a longevity mark that probably isn’t going to be caught anytime soon — though it should be noted that the LA Clippers’ Chris Paul is going into his 21st season and Philadelphia’s Kyle Lowry is starting his 20th season.
Thus begins the annual watch. Is this the end for James?
He’ll be asked in some form on Monday, and whatever he says — yes, no or otherwise — will be big news. He’s not under contract for next season, and there will likely be speculation at times this season about whether he’ll finish this year with the Lakers or will he ask to be traded elsewhere.
It’s hard to envision that James — who has given no indications that he would want a “farewell tour” type of season — will commit to a definitive plan for his future.
And remember, it’s not like he’s got nothing left in the tank. The 40-year-old James (he turns 41 on Dec. 30) is still an elite-level player with numbers that baffle logic for a man his age. He averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists last season. Nobody over the age of 32, other than James, has ever done that in NBA history.
What will Leonard say? Probably not much, but this is certainly going to be a Media Day subplot.
The Clippers’ standout — along with his team, and team owner Steve Ballmer — are all part of an NBA investigation into whether salary cap rules were circumvented by Leonard entering into an endorsement deal with a former sponsor of the team.
The NBA has said it will not rush to any judgment in its probe of the matter and has hired outside counsel to figure it all out. The NBA opened its investigation earlier this month into whether a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser, LLC — a company that filed for bankruptcy earlier this year — broke league rules, following a report by journalist Pablo Torre.
The Clippers have strongly denied that any rules were broken and said they welcomed the league’s investigation.
Injuries are a huge story entering this season. Eastern Conference champion Indiana will be without Tyrese Haliburton for the entirety of this season after he tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Portland has Damian Lillard back but isn’t sure when he can play after his own Achilles tear, and Dallas is waiting to see when Kyrie Irving’s surgically repaired ACL will be ready for his return to the floor.
And then there’s Tatum, who tore his Achilles during last season’s playoffs.
But the Boston star has been dropping hints in recent days that it might not be wise to rule him out for the season.
“I just want everybody to know I appreciate the love and support,” Tatum said in a YouTube video he posted over the weekend, one that included snippets of him going through what he said was his third on-court workout since the surgery. “It’s been a long journey, but I’m working my tail off to get back, to get healthy for the love of the game obviously and then for the fans that support me and the team.”
What will the champs do?
Oklahoma City won the NBA title last season and brings back basically its entire rotation this season, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — the reigning scoring champion, MVP and NBA Finals MVP.
BetMGM Sportsbook says OKC is the heavy favorites (+250) to win the 2026 title as well. The big issue right now might be Jalen Williams’ offseason wrist surgery and whether he’ll be ready for the start of the regular season.
“It’s been well-documented that last season was a special year in our very, very brief organizational history,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti said. “But the process of becoming a great team did not end last season. Every team in the league has something in front of them that is their passage to the next stage of their growth and development. The next step in front of us, in order to become a great team again, is the discipline and humility to turn the page.”
It’s expected that Wembanyama will be fully ready to go to start the regular season for San Antonio, after his 2024-25 season was cut short in February by deep vein thrombosis in a shoulder.
Wembanyama has had a most interesting offseason: he went to a temple in China in June to study alongside monks, played soccer with kids during various vacation stops and recently asked Spurs fans to sign up for a new supporters’ section that will mimic how fans at European soccer and basketball games tend to act.
It’ll be the first time in three decades that the Spurs go to Media Day with someone other than Gregg Popovich as their head coach. Mitch Johnson — who coached the final 77 games last season after the now-retired Popovich suffered a stroke — had the interim title removed during the offseason and is now San Antonio’s full-fledged coach going into the year.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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