Official: Suns, Lakers Will Meet in Preseason

The Suns will be taking on a familiar foe in the preseason.

Mar 16, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) shoots the ball against Phoenix Suns forward Ryan Dunn (0) in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns will be squaring off against the Los Angeles Lakers once again in the preseason in October.

Los Angeles announced Monday that the Suns and Lakers will be playing on Friday, Oct. 3 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California for the third-straight season.

The Suns and Lakers met twice in the preseason last year, and this will mark the sixth-consecutive preseason that they play at least one game against each other.

Lakers preseason hoops coming soon 🗓️@Delta x #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/ppiHGnZVJQ

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) June 2, 2025

Although the Suns have not officially revealed their preseason schedule yet, it was announced back in December that they be playing two preseason games against the Brooklyn Nets at The Venetian Arena in Macao, China on Friday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct. 12.

The Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns will be playing two preseason games at The Venetian Arena in Macao on Friday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct. 12! pic.twitter.com/dHHKPKU4dw

— NBA (@NBA) December 6, 2024

The China preseason games are sure to bring a lot of global exposure for the Suns, even though it is completely unclear how their roster will look next season.

Suns star Kevin Durant is very well known in China, but it seems likely that Phoenix will trade him away this offseason.

“We are excited to bring the Phoenix Suns to Macao next year to compete in front of our passionate fans in the region," Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein said in the press release about playing in China. "Participating in The NBA China Games 2025 is part of our owner Mat Ishbia’s vision to bring the Suns to a global audience and impact fans across the world.”

As for the game against the Lakers, last season's preseason opener against L.A. brought about a historic moment when LeBron and Bronny James became the first father-son duo to share the court together.

This preseason will mark the beginning of the first full season of Luka Doncic in Los Angeles, although it is always uncertain who will play in preseason games.

As for the Suns, this matchup against the Lakers will likely be the first chance to see a new-look team in action ahead of next season.