The Battle of Los Angeles between the Clippers and Lakers was a contest that was played in Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center) for years. However, the Clippers have since departed to the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, giving the teams distinct home-court advantages in their season series.
However, on Monday night, the matchup between the two LA teams takes place at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas for the NBA2K26 Summer League. After being seen at a Bad Bunny concert during the Lakers-Mavericks game, Lakers star LeBron James was present at their contest against the Pelicans. Additionally, he made an appearance Monday night with an unexpected guest.
Lebron James and Deandre Ayton are in the building for the Lakers along with Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, JJ Redick, Rob Pelinka, & Jaxson Hayes pic.twitter.com/Y7WjhbnAUy
— Dime Dropper (@DimeDropperPod) July 15, 2025
After saying he had yet to hear from LeBron James during his introductory press conference, Deandre Ayton was seen walking in behind James before the Clippers-Lakers contest. Ayton joined the Lakers after being bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers, signing a two-year deal.
Ayton, the former first-overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, averaged 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds with Portland this past season. A solid player throughout his career between Portland and Phoenix, Ayton now joins a situation in Los Angeles that will demand a lot from him as the team’s main center.
Deandre Ayton is on a mission to win a championship with the Lakers. 😎 pic.twitter.com/qApKx2A51Z
— theScore (@theScore) July 8, 2025
He will have the benefit of playing alongside two of the best passers in the NBA with Luka Doncic and LeBron, but he’ll be tested on a nightly basis. There are no reports on what the initial interaction between James and Ayton was, but they’ll come together on Monday with the sole purpose of supporting the Lakers.
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