The 2026-27 NBA season is quickly approaching, and Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick still has questions to answer before training camps begin Monday, Sept. 29.
Redick and Rob Pelinka, the team’s President of Basketball Operations, spoke reporters to address where things stand from a roster reconstruction standpoint within the organization.
Redick was clear that guards Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves along with center Walker Kessler are all penciled in as starters for the upcoming season, but position battles remain.
As for the rest of the starting lineup? Redick joked, “The other spots will not be two white guys.”
More: Did Lakers lose or win free agency? Grading massive roster overhaul.
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All-time Los Angeles Lakers legends who shaped the game
Jerry West (#44) played 14 seasons from 1960-1974 with the Lakers and was a force who never left the NBA once he got there, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt. The Hall of Famer, pictured here in action against the Cincinnati Royals, was remembered for his imprint as a shooting guard and builder of teams. His impact remains visible in today’s NBA and he went on to touch generations of teams and players, including LeBron James, who talked to West about winning and losing.
(Malcolm Emmons, IMAGN IMAGES)
1 / 8
All-time Los Angeles Lakers legends who shaped the game
Jerry West (#44) played 14 seasons from 1960-1974 with the Lakers and was a force who never left the NBA once he got there, according to USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt. The Hall of Famer, pictured here in action against the Cincinnati Royals, was remembered for his imprint as a shooting guard and builder of teams. His impact remains visible in today’s NBA and he went on to touch generations of teams and players, including LeBron James, who talked to West about winning and losing.
(Malcolm Emmons, IMAGN IMAGES)
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All-time Los Angeles Lakers legends who shaped the game
The Lakers often believed that Elgin Baylor (#22) remained under appreciated during his 14-year NBA career with the franchise in Minneapolis and Los Angeles. Baylor, pictured Feb. 17, 1970, in a game against the New York Knicks, is among six Lakers luminaries to have a statue outside of Staples Center, and is also among 10 Lakers players to have their jersey retired. Baylor entered the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame after winning an NBA championship (1972), posted an NBA Finals record 61 points in Game 5 of the 1961 NBA Finals against Boston, winning the league’s rookie of the year award (1959) and making 11 All-Star appearances.
(Manny Rubio, Imagn Images)
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All-time Los Angeles Lakers legends who shaped the game
Los Angeles Lakers center #13 Wilt Chamberlain scored 31,419 points, averaging 30.1 ppg, during 1,045 games over a 16-year Hall of Fame career. Chamberlain led the NBA in scoring seven straight years, averaged 50.4 points per game in 1962 and scored a record 100 points in a single game on March 2, 1962 against the New York Knicks in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The NBA didn’t televise the game and less than 5,000 people got to witness the iconic moment. HoopsHype ranked the top 80 players in NBA history and Chamberlain came in ranked No. 6 on the list, according to Sixers Wire.
(Malcolm Emmons, IMAGN IMAGES)
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All-time Los Angeles Lakers legends who shaped the game
Los Angeles Lakers center #33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, pictured in action during the 1981-82 season in Indianapolis, is one of the greatest basketball players in history – from his days as a prep star in New York City at Power Memorial Academy to his three NCAA championships and 88-2 record at UCLA and his six NBA championships and six MVPs with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. He averaged at least 21 points in his first 17 seasons, averaged at least 12 rebounds in his first 10 seasons and shot at least 50% from the field.
(Malcolm Emmons, IMAGN IMAGES)
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All-time Los Angeles Lakers legends who shaped the game
Los Angeles Lakers guard Magic Johnson (32) in action against the Detroit Pistons during the 1988 NBA Finals at the Silverdome. Magic was the face of the Lakers and the NBA during much of the 1980s when he won five NBA titles and led the “Showtime” teams in legendary showdowns with Larry Bird and the Celtics. The Hall of Famer was a three-time NBA MVP and is regarded as one of the best point guards ever to play the game.
(IMAGN IMAGES)
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All-time Los Angeles Lakers legends who shaped the game
Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant soars to the basket against Sacramento Kings’s Mike Bibby during Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference finals in Los Angeles, May 26, 2002. Kobe spent all 20 years of his legendary career with the Lakers, won five championships, and is the fourth-leading scorer in NBA history. One of the fiercest competitors to play the game, Kobe could do it all. His legend in Lakers Nation will live on forever.
(Adrees Latif, REUTERS)
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All-time Los Angeles Lakers legends who shaped the game
Los Angeles Lakers forward James Worthy celebrates his team’s series-clinching victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Finals at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, Calif. on May 30, 1991. James Worthy was a cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers’ “Showtime” era, helping the franchise win three NBA championships in the 1980s. Known for his clutch performances and smooth all-around game, the Hall of Famer remains one of the most celebrated players in Lakers history.
(Sam Mircovich, REUTERS)
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All-time Los Angeles Lakers legends who shaped the game
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots the ball against Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) and guard Amen Thompson (1) in the second half during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. LeBron James cemented his legacy in Los Angeles, leading the Lakers to the 2020 NBA championship and continuing to be one of the league’s most influential stars. Even in the later stages of his career, James remains a central figure for the franchise, adding to a résumé that already ranks among the greatest, if not the greatest in basketball history.
(Kirby Lee, IMAGN IMAGES)
Pelinka stated that the team has three clear objectives for the roster this offseason.
The first was re-signing Reaves, who agreed to a four-year, $180 million max contract in July. The team also had aspirations of acquiring a “franchise center” to play alongside Dončić.
Kessler signed a four-year, $130 million deal with the Lakers, but in order to secure the big man, the Lakers needed to send multiple draft assets to the Utah Jazz as part of the trade, including unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030.
Los Angeles went with a youth movement after LeBron James, the NBA’s oldest active player and arguably still the league’s biggest star, departed and signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Kessler is 25 years old, and wing Ziaire Williams is 24. Guard Quentin Grimes is 26, while guard Collin Sexton and forward Sandro Mamukelashvili are both 27.
Quentin Grimes is expected to serve as the small forward in the lineup while Jake LaRavia and Sandro Mamukelashvili will compete for the role as the starting power forward.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: JJ Redick addresses Lakers starting lineup then drops viral quote
