With an 82-game slate, it’s rare for an NBA team to have as much as two days off during the regular season. But the Los Angeles Lakers found themselves among the lucky ones as they not only got a two-day reprieve this week, but actually a four-day break.
Even so, the NBA’s glamour team still found a way to keep everyone’s competitive juices flowing—along with the chance to cross-train—by playing pickleball. And the Lakers didn’t just play for the fun of it. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the Purple and Gold actually organised a team-wide pickleball tournament to pass time during their four-day break.
What’s more, it appears the tournament became ultra-competitive, according to Lakers coach JJ Redick, who humourously rued the pairings as “a little unfair.”
“Unsurprisingly, it was very competitive, with a lot of trash-talking,” said Redick after the team’s practice on Sunday (Saturday in the US). “I had no part in making the teams. I just feel like the Luka [Doncic]-[assistant coach] Ty [Abbott] pairing, and the Beau-Jake pairing, were a little unfair. I’m not going to name names, but particularly when one of my teammates decided to eat through the majority of the tournament. Like, he was eating food while watching me and the other teammate I had play. You can probably figure out who that is… I woke up [Saturday] morning, and my back was just hurt from carrying us to the semifinals.”
Redick also told the Los Angeles Daily News that LeBron James, widely regarded as among the GOATs of basketball, also participated in the pickleball tournament and was even using customised paddles.
While Redick and his team made it all the way to the semis, he was one-upped by forward Jake LaRavia and assistant coach Beau Levesque, who stamped their class by winning it all.
Redick isn’t complaining, though, as he views these activities as a great opportunity to build camaraderie and chemistry among the Lakers, from the players to the coaches, and everybody else.
Lakers guard Gabe Vincent may have summed it up best: “Any time we can get everyone in the same room, it’s beneficial. Whether it’s an activity, a conversation, a movie, film, practice, whatever the case may be. Especially if we can get off the court, just build some more chemistry, build some more symmetry, just get to know each other a little bit more.”
