Walton meets LeBron for 1st time since signing: 'He's about the team'
The two had been texting on and off since July 1, but on Sunday while in Las Vegas, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton finally got a face-to-face meeting with his team's monumental offseason acquisition, LeBron James.
"He's about the team. He's about doing things the right way, and he's about winning," Walton told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne of their conversation. "I can work with those qualities."
With James on vacation with his family, Walton's only means of communication with the four-time league Most Valuable Player prior to meeting was via text message. The two didn't speak prior to James' four-year, $153-million commitment.
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Having someone of James' caliber on his roster presents a gargantuan shift from what Walton had previously been accustomed to with his Lakers. He's entering his third full year on the job with a franchise that had been in rebuilding mode, going a combined 61-103 since 2016 (.372).
In an effort to prepare himself mentally for what lies ahead, Walton reached out to a litany of names from James' past for advice on how to work with him, including Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue, Miami Heat bench boss Erik Spoelstra, and James' former Cavs teammates Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye.
James was selected first overall in the 2003 draft, while Walton went 32nd to the Lakers that same year.