Los Angeles Lakers forward Jake LaRavia has pulled back the curtain on the team’s increasingly famous pregame routine, a multi-step sequence that has circulated widely on social media throughout the season.
Speaking in a video posted by the NBA on X on April 16, 2026, LaRavia began the walkthrough with a simple description: “Alright, so first, LeBron is just going to throw the ball up in the air as high as he can.” What follows, however, is anything but simple.
The Steps
The ritual involves six players—LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, Maxi Kleber and Rui Hachimura—each performing a specific task:
- James starts by launching the ball skyward, prompting the entire team to drop to the floor.
- Knecht rises and drains a three-pointer from the wing.
- Reaves converts a finger-roll from well beyond the arc.
- James caps the sequence with a baseline hook shot.
If any of those attempts miss, the Lakers reset and run the routine from the beginning.
According to LaRavia, the exercise keeps the roster loose while signaling that it is time to focus on game action—a strategy the Lakers plan to maintain as they open their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Ironman Season for LaRavia
Signed last summer, LaRavia set a personal goal of staying on the court after battling injuries in recent years. He accomplished that objective by appearing in all 82 regular-season games, the only Laker to do so this season. The forward called the feat a point of pride while noting its importance to the club’s depth.
The Lakers meet the Rockets in Game 1 this weekend, carrying both their intact roster and their intricate warm-up into postseason play.
Source: LakersNation.com
