LeBron James closed out the Los Angeles Lakers trip to China by wearing the “Man in the Arena” Nike LeBron 17 colorway during NBA action for the first time. The inside sole of this black and white 17 includes an excerpt from the famous speech given by the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, which includes the line: “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly.”
LeBron played only 12 minutes during the Lakers 91-77 preseason loss to the Nets on Saturday. While starting alongside Avery Bradley, Danny Green, Rajon Rondo and Anthony Davis, James totaled six points and four rebounds before watching the majority of the contest from the bench.
The conclusion of the tenuous trip to China should help offer some stability for both the Lakers and Nets as they now look to wrap up the exhibition schedule in preparation for opening night. Los Angeles will meet the Golden State Warriors three times next week before tipping off the regular season against the Clippers on October 22.
There is a chance LeBron and company could be without Anthony Davis as camp concludes, however, after the big man injured his right thumb while defending a Joe Harris field goal attempt on Saturday. Davis will reportedly undergo an MRI on his thumb when the team gets back to the United States to determine the severity of his injury.
