Getty Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
After a hard day of practice, LeBron James and Anthony Davis took some time to chill on Thursday, heading to the parking lot outside of the Los Angeles Lakers training complex in El Segundo, California, for some ice baths.
The team posted a photo of the two superstars getting in some recovery, with the caption, “Cooler than being cool.”
Cooler than being cool 🥶🥶
What wasn’t completely obvious in the photo was that James and Davis were in the parking lot, likely because of COVID-19 precautions in place. The scene looked less photogenic when Lakers forward Markieff Morris posted a video of the duo on Instagram.
“Meanwhile in LA,” Morris wrote with some crying laughing emojis.
James & Davis Focus on Staying Healthy
Recovery and rest will be more important than ever this year due to the shortened offseason, something both James and Davis have talked about.
“Obviously, every game matters, but we’re competing for something that’s high,” James said. “We don’t ever want to shortchange our stuff. For me personally, that’s a fine line with me, but understanding that it’s a shortened season. I think it’s 71 days that the offseason is going to be, the shortest season for any professional sport ever. We’re very conscientious about what we’re going to do going forward as far as me personally.”
Frank Vogel looks ahead to tomorrow’s #Lakers preseason opener, shares that LeBron and AD will not play.
Neither James nor Davis will play in the Lakers preseason opener on Friday against the Clippers, head coach Frank Vogel told reporters, taking a slow and steady approach to ramping things up.
“I just want to make sure I’m good to go,” Davis told reporters. “I don’t want to rush into anything. We’ve seen, unfortunately, how football went with no preseason, shorter season, and a lot of injuries happen. You don’t kind of want that same thing. So I’m going build up the right way. Coach has been doing a great job of doing that with our team, building up the right way.
AD on the quick turnaround and how he’s preparing…
“I want to make sure I’m good to go, I don’t want to rush into anything…I’m going to build up the right way.”
Take as much time as you need!!!
“I feel good, body feels good, but at the same time I got to make sure the people around me, my training staff, my trainer, training staff, coaches, also be in my ear like, ‘AD, calm down,'” Davis said. “I’ve been great doing practice. I’ve been in every drill, being in condition and getting back into the swing of things, but like I said, you want to be smart about it as well.”
Morris Rips ESPN’s Player Rankings
GettyMarkieff Morris of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Morris was active on social media outside of the viral video of his teammates. The 31-year-old ripped ESPN’s player rankings for this season in a tweet, although he agreed with the top two picks, which were Davis and James.
“ESPN your rankings are trash as usual! But y’all did get number 1 and 2 right! I’ve been saying that for a while now!” he wrote.
@espn your rankings are trash as usual! But y’all did get number 1 and 2 right! I’ve been saying that for a while now!
Here’s what ESPN had to say about James in the rankings:
James continues to evolve, leading the league in assists while ceding some scoring to Davis. With the short turnaround before opening night, it’s unlikely James will match last season’s 67 (of 71) games played. Come playoff time, however, there’s still nobody you’d rather start your team with than LeBron.
Davis clocked in at No. 2 and ESPN noted it was the first time teammates occupied the top two spots in the decade-long history of the rankings.
Two-time defending MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was No. 3 and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic was No. 4. Clippers star Kawhi Leonard rounded out the top five.
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