Earlier this month, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Los Angeles Lakers acquired veteran guard, Avery Bradley, on a two-year deal. The team used their room exception to bring Bradley into the fold and bolster their backcourt with the 28-year-old who spent parts of last season with the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies. While being hampered by injuries over the last few years, Bradley had been considered one of the best two-way guards in the NBA as recently as 2016.
Last week, Bradley spoke with reporters during a conference call about the reasons he chose to sign with the Lakers in free agency. While citing his relationship with Rajon Rondo from their time together with the Boston Celtics as a motivating factor, Bradley also mentioned that LeBron James played a pivotal role in making Los Angeles his preferred destination. Bradley referred to LeBron as the best player in the world and stated that he didn’t hesitate to join forces with him once the opportunity presented itself.
“To me, LeBron’s the best player in the world,” Bradley said according to SB Nation’s Silver Screen and Roll. “And Anthony Davis is the best player at his position, going up against those guys, that’s always been a lot of good battles. I knew if I ever had the opportunity to play with one of those guys I would definitely think about it, and now that the opportunity presented itself I didn’t hesitate.
“Everything was aligned and I’m just happy that I have the opportunity to play with them because, again, like I said, I’m going to be able to learn a lot from those guys,” Bradley added. “I’ll be able to learn from them and try to apply it to my game, and hopefully it can really be effective for our team.”
During his nine-year NBA career, Bradley has averaged 12 points and three rebounds per game. Defensively, especially during his time with Boston from 2010-17, the 6-2 guard has made a name for himself with his tenacious approach on the perimeter. He went on to tell reporters that he’s healthier now heading into training camp than he has been in a while and expects to regain that form that helped make him a standout at both ends of the floor. The former 19th overall pick from Texas signed with Los Angeles for $9.7 million over the next two seasons.
