Lakers Open First Season Without LeBron James as Steve Kerr Calls Scene Weird and Luka Doncic Leads Rout

For the first time in eight years, the Los Angeles Lakers opened an NBA season without LeBron James, and the absence of the league's career scoring leader left even opposing coaches struggling to describe the moment.

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr called the scene at Crypto.com Arena both "weird" and "strange" before Wednesday night's season opener, a game that for much of the past decade would have been billed as another showdown between James and Stephen Curry.

James, 42, now plays for the Philadelphia 76ers. His departure ends a run of eight seasons in Los Angeles, his longest uninterrupted stretch with any franchise, and turns the Lakers over fully to Luka Doncic.

The new-look Lakers made an emphatic first impression, routing the Warriors 127-105.

'Just different'

Lakers coach JJ Redick, who both coached and broadcast many of the James-Curry matchups in recent years, said the night felt neither better nor worse without James, only different.

Redick said the change was "just different," declining to frame it as good or bad.

Asked what he would miss about James, Redick pointed to the veteran's consistency in how he approached the game.

The Lakers-Warriors rivalry built around James and Curry often produced some of the NBA's most anticipated regular-season games. Those matchups will now give way to less frequent meetings between the 76ers and the two West Coast teams.

A new roster takes shape

The Lakers enter the 2026-27 season with a heavily reshaped roster. Nine players are new to the team, and three new faces appeared in Wednesday's starting lineup.

Wings Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle started alongside returning guards Doncic and Austin Reaves and new center Walker Kessler, who arrived from Utah in a sign-and-trade.

Williams and Thybulle were among the team's low-cost offseason additions, signed to veteran's minimum contracts. Both started in place of guard Quentin Grimes, who is expected to serve as the team's sixth man.

Grimes is set to earn $15 million per season under a four-year contract, making him the fourth-highest-paid player on the roster. Forward-center Sandro Mamukelashvili, who earns $13 million per year, also comes off the bench.

Redick has described this roster as the first in his three seasons as head coach in which the pieces fit together. He credited a veteran minicamp in Las Vegas, a team trip to Doncic's native Slovenia and an active September of workouts for building chemistry despite preseason injuries.

Doncic takes center stage

On the court, Doncic left little doubt about who now leads the team.

He finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, though he also committed six turnovers. Kessler was nearly perfect in his Lakers debut, scoring 26 points on 12-of-12 shooting with nine rebounds and two blocks. Reaves added 23 points and six assists.

Doncic and Kessler connected early, with Doncic throwing a lob that Kessler finished with a dunk. In the third quarter, Doncic found Kessler again with a behind-the-back pass for another dunk.

The game's most memorable moment came in the second quarter. Doncic exchanged words with Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, who was called for a technical foul. Doncic made the technical free throw, then hit a half-court 3-pointer while gesturing toward Lendeborg, sending the Lakers into halftime with a 66-52 lead.

The Lakers pulled away in the second half. Late in the fourth quarter, forward Jake LaRavia injured his ankle and was helped to the locker room.

The win offered a sharp contrast to last season's opener, when James missed the game with sciatica and the Warriors beat the Lakers 119-109 despite 43 points from Doncic.

Injury updates

The Lakers were without several players Wednesday.

Guard Collin Sexton, who signed a two-year, $19.2 million contract as a free agent, was ruled out with a right calf strain after starting the day as questionable. He missed all five preseason games before returning to full practice Monday. He went through pregame warmups, and Redick said there had been no setback and that the decision to sit him was made jointly. Sexton, 27, is listed as day-to-day.

Second-year wing Adou Thiero will be shut down for a few days because of swelling in his left knee before ramping back up. Redick said Thiero would then be day-to-day.

Rookie guard Cameron Carr, who is dealing with a right oblique strain, is also day-to-day.

Looking ahead

The opening-night win gives the Lakers early momentum as they adjust to life after James. Redick has said the biggest unknown is how the team will handle adversity over a long season.

For the Warriors, the loss was an early test as they try to extend Curry's championship window. For the Lakers, it was a first look at a team built around Doncic, and an introduction to a new era in Los Angeles.