LeBron is no longer a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, but he made his mark on the franchise during his eight years with it. He consistently played at a high level during that time, even if certain aspects of his game had clearly slipped, and he delivered an NBA championship in 2020.
As we take a look at James' greatest performances as a member of the Lakers in chronological order, we first look back at his very first regular-season game with the team back in the fall of 2018. It is an auspicious debut for him, even if the outcome wasn't what fans hoped for.
James introduces himself to Lakers nation
On the evening of Oct. 18, 2018, the Lakers headed to the Moda Center to face the Portland Trail Blazers in their 2018-19 season debut. The game was shown nationally on TNT, and it was one
of the more highly anticipated games across the league that season.
James got his first assist as a Laker just under two minutes into the game when forward Brandon Ingram scored on a layup. Moments later, he scored his first bucket with the Purple and Gold when he stole a pass and took the ball all the way for a breakaway jam.
After Damian Lillard scored on a dunk himself on the next possession, James pushed the ball right back at Portland and delivered another thunderous jam. Those two dunks were his way of introducing himself as the franchise's newest leading man.
James finished with 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting, 12 rebounds, six assists and one steal. Ingram had 16 points, Rajon Rondo got 13 points and 11 assists and Josh Hart provided 20 points off the bench.
Unfortunately for Los Angeles, its outside shooting was as icy as the South Pole. It missed all 12 of its 3-point attempts in the first half, and while it thawed out a bit afterward, it went just 7-of-30 from that distance for the game. James missed all four of his attempts from beyond the arc.
The Lakers' defense didn't pick up the slack, and the team lost 128-119. It would lose the first three games of the season before finally defeating the Phoenix Suns 131-113 to finally get into the victory column.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: LeBron's James' greatest games with the Lakers: His team debut in 2018
