Lakers News: LeBron James Set to Play in Drew League Game Today

Lakers forward LeBron James comes back to the Drew League after a 11 year hiatus

As if the Lakers off-season hasn't been eventful enough, LeBron James has confirmed that he will be playing in the Drew League today for the first time since 2011, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. James will look to put on another star performance in front of a basketball fans. 

The Drew League is well renowned in the basketball community of Los Angeles for bringing street legends, local players, and NBA greats for almost 50 years. Even for an athlete as big as James, this is poised to be a special moment. 

LeBron James is expected to play in the @DrewLeague on Saturday for the first time since 2011, a source tells @YahooSports.

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 16, 2022

2011 was a special year for street basketball in the summer as the NBA faced a 161 day lockout, its fourth lockout and the leagues most recent. The lockout would end up reducing the the regular season to 66 games.

The Drew League of course excelled during this time as NBA players were hungry to play and further express the weight they held in the lockout. 

James would make his first appearance in 2011 and gave the fans a show with 33 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists. If he performs anywhere close to this, the frenzy he will create will send shockwaves throughout the basketball world. 

2011 called upon other greats to show up in the Drew League, including Laker great Kobe Bryant. Bryant went on to drop 44 points and hit the game-winning 3-pointer over James Harden, who led the game with 47 points. 

It remains to be seen how many minutes James will play, but chances are good for the fans who show up to see him live. The game is set to play at 1:45 PM PT.