Lakers' LeBron James Worked With Young Hawks Star This Offseason

The Lakers legend worked out with one of the young stars in Atlanta.

Jan 3, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) moves the ball against Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is one of the best players to ever play the game. He is respected by everyone in the league for what he has accomplished in his career.

James works as hard or harder in the offseason than anyone else in the league. Even as he approaches his 23rd season, he continues to put in the requisite work in the gym.

The Lakers legend is always getting younger players seeking out advice from him, and he's happy to oblige. One Hawks star actually worked out with James in the offseason.

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Jalen Johnson worked out with Lakers forward LeBron James over the summer

Young Hawks star Jalen Johnson mentioned that he worked out with James over the summer, learning from him as much as he possibly could.

Here at Hawks media day, Jalen Johnson says he’s fully healthy and ready for the upcoming season. Johnson said he spent time working out with LeBron James and learning from the Lakers star this offseason. pic.twitter.com/IlVubS0yv8

— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) September 29, 2025

Johnson was certainly trying to soak up everything from James that he possibly could. He's trying to become a great player in the league, so what better player to learn from than James?

Even at the age of 40, James was still one of the best players in the NBA. He made second-team All-NBA last season, proving that he can still get it done.

This year, the Hawks are looking to take a step up in the East. Johnson is part of the reason that they believe they can do that. He has shown flashes of brilliance in his young career.

Doing whatever he can to learn from James has to make the Hawks happy that Johnson is taking the progression of his career seriously.

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The Lakers need LeBron James to keep his level of play high

As James sets the record for the longest career in NBA history, the Lakers need him to still be a top-15 player in the league if they want to have any shot of winning a title.

It's unclear how much longer James wants to play basketball, or how long he wants to play for the Lakers. This might be the last shot that Los Angeles has to do that.

Last season, James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game. He shot 51.3 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

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