Lakers News: Latest on New Uniforms, LeBron James' Decision and More

Tuesday was yet another busy day in Los Angeles Lakers land, as most have been since LeBron James took his mega-talents to the NBA's premier mega-market.

James alone is a headline-driver for reasons on and off the court (If you haven't checked out the school he just opened, do so now—it's incredible). And the Lakers have rarely strayed from the spotlight, even while enduring a franchise-worst five-year playoff drought.

Their partnership isn't even officially a month old, and it's already a dream come true for the media world.

The latest additions to the Lakers' news cycle include new (but familiar) threads and some interesting insight on James' latest decision.

Showtime-Inspired Duds

As soon as Magic Johnson graced the organization with his presence again, the team had an unmistakable Showtime feel to it. And now that James—arguably the closest Magic clone we've ever seen—has joined the fold, the Lakers are making that connection even deeper.

They just unveiled new jerseys, which look an awful lot like the old ones Magic would wear:

There's an elegance in their simplicity, and the Showtime similarities almost demand some level of reverence. The black piping down the side of the purple jersey was a curious choice, but otherwise there's plenty to like about the redesign.

CBS Sports' Pete Blackburn named the gold jersey his favorite new addition this NBA offseason and tabbed the white version as his 1B choice.

"It's clean as hell and they play the gold, purple and white off each other well in the striping," Blackburn wrote of the gold design. "This is what a Lakers jersey should look like."

LeBron Shares Rationale

James' decision to head west has been broken down from every conceivable angle since Klutch Sports announced it late July 1. But the one voice missing from the discussion was the most important—the player's.

Thankfully, that's no longer the case.

James touched on multiple aspects of his arrival during a wide-ranging interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols at the opening of his I Promise School.

"I like the challenge of being able to help a team get to places that they haven't been in a quite a while," James said, via ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "And obviously the Lakers haven't made the playoffs in a few years, but the Lakers organization and historical franchise matches up there with all the greats. ... For me to be a part of that, I think it's a great move not only for me but for my family and for the history of basketball in general."

James famously played the starring role in snapping Cleveland's city-wide, five-decades-long title drought in 2016. Prior to that, he won two championships in four seasons with the Miami Heat—or one more in the 26 seasons they've played without him.

Whether James can bring his championship touch to the Lakers will largely depend on the caliber of supporting cast they assemble around him. The 2018-19 group hardly looks ready to contend, although he's a bigger fan of their other signings than most.

"We just got guys that love to play basketball," James told Nichols. "At the end of the day, guys that love to play ball, and that's what they do every single day, I love that. ... Bringing Lance [Stephenson] and JaVale [McGee] and [Michael Beasley] and [Rajon] Rondo, they're guys that every day that they wake up, they think about the game of basketball. And everything else is secondary."

Paul George Explains Why Lakers Didn't Get Meeting

Before James climbed onboard, Paul George long seemed like the next Lakers' star—until suddenly he wasn't.

The Palmdale, Calif. native was connected to the club over a year before he reached the open market. Once it became clearer they had a shot at landing LeBron, George to L.A. seemed more likely than ever.

And yet, the Lakers didn't even get a meeting before George was back with the Oklahoma City Thunder on a new four-year, $137 million contract.

"I just wanted my free agency to be over with," George told ESPN's Marc J. Spears. "In my heart, I felt great about Oklahoma, and I wasn't going to prolong it if I felt good about it already."

George admitted the idea of coming home was "absolutely tempting," but credit the Thunder for overcoming that temptation and keeping its newest star in the Sooner State.