Los Angeles Lakers guard Cameron Carr said he was so immersed in preparations for the California Classic that he did not realize LeBron James had decided to leave the franchise in free agency.
Speaking to Khobi Price of the California Post, the 23-year-old rookie explained that his attention never wavered from Summer League obligations. “In all honesty, I was probably thinking more about how this was going to go,” Carr told the outlet. “Me and my [Summer League] teammates, I wasn’t really caught up in the moment of everything going on.”
James, who spent eight seasons with Los Angeles, informed team officials on the eve of free agency that he would not return for the 2026-27 campaign. The decision surprised many inside and outside the organization—except, apparently, Carr, whose focus remained on on-court development.
Strong Opening Performances
The first-round pick’s tunnel vision produced immediate results at Chase Center in San Francisco. Carr scored a team-high 19 points in his July 3 debut against the Golden State Warriors, hitting 5-of-11 attempts from three-point distance. He followed with 26 points and eight rebounds in the Lakers’ second California Classic matchup, adding four more triples.
Looking for Guidance Elsewhere
Carr admitted he was eager to learn directly from James but intends to make an impact regardless. He does have one familiar mentor on the roster: third-year guard Dalton Knecht, a former University of Tennessee teammate. Carr said the two maintain a “strong relationship” that he expects will ease his transition to the NBA.
For now, Carr plans to keep his focus on Summer League as he works to earn a regular-season role with the retooling Lakers.
Source: Lakers Nation
