LeBron James, Lakers spiritedly retake the court for first time at NBA restart

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. >> There was a time in March when LeBron James could not imagine playing without fans.

“If I show up to the arena and there ain’t no fans in there?” he said at the time. “I ain’t playing.”

Volumes of history were written in the intervening months, and the world changed. The Lakers took the court for a competitive game Thursday for the first time since March 10 — only in a scrimmage and with 10-minute quarters. None of the several dozen spectators at the Visa Athletic Center were watching for fun.

But James — he was having fun.

The 35-year-old graced warm-ups with alley-oops to himself for powerful dunks, with no one to “ooh” or “aah.” He threw lobs to Dwight Howard and Kyle Kuzma — if it made anyone gape, the reactions were shrouded by masks.

Even though James didn’t have the audience he craves, as the NBA season restarts, he still has his pride. He said as much after a thundering breakaway jam blowing past Dallas’ J.J. Barea, shouting back: “I’m still the fastest man out here.”

James and his cohort Anthony Davis played just one half in the Lakers’ first scrimmage of the NBA restart, combining for 24 points in the humble housing of the Visa Athletic Center on the Disney campus. But it was enough to signal to the basketball world — including the fans sitting at home — that the Lakers are still compelling and tough to beat when fully engaged.

“You gotta create your own energy here,” James said. “We understand that. There’s no fans. Our wonderful fans are watching this game on the TVs, on the laptops, phones, iPads, whatever the case may be. So it’s about us creating our own energy, continuing to make — understanding what we’re here for and that’s to get better.”

While the final score was 108-104 in a “loss” to the Mavericks, the Lakers (49-14) are still a ways out from a consequential result (their first game on July 30 is against the Clippers). Their supporting cast, hindered by the losses of Avery Bradley and Rajon Rondo, was less convincing after the stars made their exit with an 11-point lead. The Lakers struggled with lineups populated by newcomers and inexperience. Shooting 6 for 6 from long range, Seth Curry tore apart a weakened Lakers perimeter. Star Luka Doncic added 14 points and six assists — one more dish than James had in the budding rivalry match.

But after a four-month hiatus, just being on the court at all felt like a victory itself.

Of the two Lakers who made their team debuts, Dion Waiters was the more intriguing newcomer. The guard knocked down the first jumper he attempted in the first quarter, then capped the period with a buzzer-beating three — the Lakers’ bench screamed his nickname “CHEEEESE” before the shot dropped. He wound up with nine points.

June signee J.R. Smith made just two shots in his second-half appearance, finishing with six points.

It was the first time the Lakers had played any kind of game at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports, and it happened to be in its smallest venue, just half of a gym walled off by black curtains. Digital screens flashed Lakers logos and brief snippets of the Laker girls, a feeble recreation of the homecourt environment the Lakers enjoy at Staples — and frankly the raucous road support they also enjoy.

But the gym, in many ways, replicated the feel of the countless pickup games the league’s elite players keep up every offseason. The calls for defenses and coaching adjustments carried through the building. There were some moments of levity as well, perhaps none more light than 7-foot-3 Boban Marjanovich draining a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.

Even in the moments when James wasn’t playing basketball, he flashed a playfulness that the world hasn’t seen since he last took an NBA court. In pregame, he shouted audibles at an imaginary line of scrimmage before tossing a Hail Mary to Davis. As he sat on the bench for the second half, he loudly supported end-of-the-bench contributors. He shouted encouragement to Devontae Cacok at the free throw line that could be heard clear across the court, and later swayed with his arms spread wide like an airplane.

Even without fans, James can still find ways to soar — a good sign for an upcoming playoff run the Lakers hope to take all the way through the next three months.

“That’s the energy that we bring to the game,” he said. “That’s just who we are. We’ve got a close-knit group. We have a lot of togetherness, a lot of brotherhood with this franchise and we care for one another, not only on the floor but off the floor as well.”