LOS ANGELES: LeBron James says he is looking forward to the challenge of turning around the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, who are coming off the worst five-year period in franchise history.
“I like the challenge of being able to help a team get to places that they haven’t been in quite a while,” James told American sports broadcaster ESPN. “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.
“You can look at the (NFL Dallas) Cowboys and you can look at the (NFL New England) Patriots, you can look at Manchester United, the Boston Celtics — these are like historical franchises.
“And 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 was speaking out Monday in his first public comments since leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers and signing with the Lakers.
The 33-year-old James is entering his 16th NBA season. He has won three championships and made it to the finals nine times, including a streak of eight years straight.
James had agreed to a four-year, $154 million contract with the Lakers, leaving the Cavaliers after four seasons in which he led them to four NBA finals.
James brought Cleveland its first major sports crown since 1964 when the Cavs won the 2016 NBA crown but lost three of four finals showdowns with the Golden State Warriors. He decided to make a move in hopes of rebuilding the Lakers into a winner.
When James joined the Miami Heat, he led them to a 58-24 record and took them to the finals in his first season in South Florida.
The Lakers were 35-47 last season and haven’t made the playoffs since 2013, hitting the bottom after compiling 16 championships.
They haven’t gone past the second round of the playoffs since Kobe Bryant led them to consecutive NBA titles in 2009 and 2010.
“At the end of the day, the guys love to play ball, and that’s what they do every single day. I love that,” James said.
“And bringing Lance (Stephenson) and JaVale (McGee) and Beas (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.
“So we look forward to all the challenges.”
He also used his LeBron James Family Foundation on Monday to officially open a new elementary school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio for at-risk students.
The “I Promise School” will operate on an extended school year to help 240 third and fourth graders study and learn at an appropriate speed and catch up if they are lagging. The school will also feature job placement assistance for parents and a on-site food bank for families.
“I know these kids more than they know themselves,” James said in a video introducing the program. “I walked the same streets. I rode the same bikes on the same streets they ride on... everything these kids are going through, the drugs, the violence, the guns, everything they going through as kids, I know.”
The 15-year NBA veteran was third in the league last season with 27.5 points a game, matched his career high with 8.6 rebounds and had a career-high 9.1 assists.
James has played in 1,143 career regular season games for the Cavaliers and Heat, averaging 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists.
He ranks seventh in career NBA scoring with 31,038 points and also won Olympic gold medals in 2008 at Beijing and 2012 at London.
LeBron James just what doctor ordered for lowly NBA Lakers
LeBron James just what doctor ordered for lowly NBA Lakers
- NBA legend speaks publicly for the first time since public comments since leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers
- James had agreed to a four-year, $154 million contract with the Lakers
Footballco launches new Riyadh studio to boost creator-led content boom
- Football media company’s venture caters for its Arabic video-first brands
- Footballco also plans to create in-studio formats for its fan-driven series, Yalla Fans, previously shot on location at football stadiums
RIYADH: Football media and culture company Footballco have opened a new production studio in Riyadh.
The move allows it to boost the volume of in-studio content created for its leading Arabic video-first football brands — Yalla Goal, Yalla Fans and Yalla Girl, as well as branded content for commercial partners.
The new studio complements Footballco’s Riyadh office, which opened in December 2024 as its Middle East headquarters. Footballco’s move to the city was driven by a desire to better serve clients in Saudi Arabia and to bring it closer to the country’s burgeoning football industry. The company now has 20 full-time staff in the Kingdom.
Footballco currently operates three video-first Arabic-language football brands in the region, all targeting Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha fans and fronted by experienced content creators. Yalla Goal combines spirited discussions, bold challenges and fun games, while Yalla Girl celebrates the growth of women’s football in Saudi Arabia and the region, with a focus on talent, personality, laughter and friendship. Footballco also plans to create in-studio formats for its fan-driven series, Yalla Fans, previously shot on location at football stadiums.
The company’s decision to invest in creator-led, in-studio video formats is backed by its own research which found that, for young fans, brand partnerships with creators are seen as more valuable than official tournament partnerships.
Footballco’s new studio will increase the frequency of video content created for its channels, supported by two full-time hosts for Yalla Goal — Mohammed Bargat and Waleed Al-Shargi (better known as Shargi), who have a combined following of over 900,000 on their personal channels.
Andy Jackson, Footballco’s Middle East senior vice president, said: “With seven national teams from the region set to appear at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, eight if Iraq qualify through the play-offs, these new facilities and increasing video output sets our brands up for success at a time where we know there will be an unprecedented demand for fun, creator-led video content.
“We’re also excited to welcome both Bargat and Shargi to the team, with both having more than proved themselves as understanding how to create content that resonates with young fans and they are already familiar to our audiences.”
He added: “In December, our Arabic social channels generated over 1.7 billion video views, so we are building from an incredibly strong base to further cement our position as the clear market leader both in Saudi Arabia and the wider region. Our creator-led video formats have proved incredibly popular with brands, and this investment will see us able to offer a broader range of opportunities to our many commercial partners.”
While the World Cup this summer will see Footballco’s new studio in constant use, the company is also readying a slate of programming across Ramadan, with a 30-show spread culminating in an Eid special.
Taha Imani, Footballco’s head of video and social in the Middle East and North Africa region, said: “With YouTube becoming the number one place for fans to enjoy longform and short-form football content, and based on success across Footballco brands such as The Front Three in other markets, we’re expecting to grow at speed as we approach the World Cup giving fans exactly what they want from us on a daily basis.”
