LeBron, Lakers among those up first as NBA media days begin

LeBron James is expected to speak about a season of great expectations for himself and the new-look Los Angeles Lakers, as the annual rundown of media days get underway around the NBA.

The Lakers are among five teams holding their media-day sessions Friday, the others include Houston, Sacramento, Indiana and Brooklyn. Reigning NBA champion Toronto holds its media day on Saturday.

Those teams were permitted to open training camps earlier than most because of the league’s rule allowing those clubs going overseas for preseason games to get some additional preparation time.

The Los Angeles Clippers have media day on Sunday because they’re headed to Hawaii for training camp. The remaining 23 teams have them scheduled for Monday.

The first preseason game is Monday, with the Rockets playing host to the Shanghai Sharks.