LeBron James added another historic milestone to his decorated career on Saturday, becoming one of only two players ever to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame while still active – but he still found time to be humble.
The ceremony, which honored James alongside other notable stars such as Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, and Jason Kidd, celebrated their contributions to basketball, both domestically and internationally.
And during the event Kidd, the former NBA star and Dallas Mavericks head coach, was asked to reflect on his role managing the star-studded 2008 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team.
“I might have been the captain,” Kidd said. “I was more like the water boy, the towel boy.
“The clock, I kept the clock to make sure everybody was on time; no one was late. Asked everybody what Gatorade color they liked.”
As he chose to downplay his own contribution in that epic run, the Los Angeles Lakers‘ star and four-time NBA champion wasn’t having any of it on the night in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Kidd‘s humility, however, did not go unnoticed by James, who playfully interrupted to acknowledge his former boss’ undeniable impact on their run to Olympic champions in Beijing.
“Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it… He’s the only one that’s never lost a game in international play ever. Ever. So, you stop it,” James exclaimed, highlighting Kidd‘s flawless record with Team USA and ensuring that his former teammate received the recognition he deserved.
The ceremony also served as a celebration of the 2008 Redeem Team, the squad that restored U.S. dominance in international basketball. James used his induction speech to pay tribute to the late Kobe Bryant.
“”The missing link that we needed in order to regain the dominance with Team USA,” LeBron said of Bryant‘s role. “He brought a sense of seriousness to the team.
“He made us lock in. We knew once he joined, and he was gonna be committed, that we couldn’t be doing nothing half-a*s. Kobe won’t be going for that.”
When is the NBA back for LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers?
Lakers fans can mark their calendars for the start of the 2025-26 NBA season as raining camps and media days for the remaining 25 teams open on September 29, offering the first glimpse of the Lakers‘ roster and preparations for the season ahead.
The preseason wraps up on October 17, giving the team a chance to finalize rotations and strategies before the regular season begins, with LeBron, Luka and the Lakers looking for championship glory.
Los Angeles will officially open their campaign on October 21 against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors at 22:00 ET/19:00 PT, a marquee matchup broadcast nationally on NBC and Peacock.
Other key dates include:
- Oct. 31: Emirates NBA Cup 2025 – Group Play tips off on Prime
- Dec. 25: Christmas Day 20:00 ET/17:00 PT: Houston Rockets at Lakers.
- Feb. 13-15: 2026 NBA All-Star in Los Angeles, CA.
- April 12: Regular season ends.
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