LeBron James Makes Honest Admission on Adjustments In NBA Bubble

22 teams arrived in Orlando to play in the NBA bubble for this season’s title. LeBron James and pretty much all of the Lakers’ superstars don’t remember the last time they played without cheering fans in overflowing gyms. Ever since he was in high school, there has always been a crowd around him to watch him play. Or a massive crowd of reporters around him after the game.

Until now. There are no crowds, no fans at the NBA’s restart at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. And LeBron notices the difference. He admitted to reporters that he’s still adjusting to this scenario.

“I am getting more and more used to being out there. It’s a very weird dynamic. I haven’t played in an empty gym in a very, very long time,” James said following the Lakers’ 116-111 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. “It’s been a very long time since no one has been watching me play the game. I’m just trying to find that rhythm and lock in…

“I’m getting more and more comfortable playing in an empty gym,” James said. “Just having the backdrop here is a lot different from playing in a high school gym or a college arena where you’re playing in the summer time, whatever the case may be. It’s very dark, extremely dark. You can literally hear a feather hit the ground. I’m just getting more and more comfortable playing with my game here in the bubble.”

LeBron’s game in the NBA bubble is still strong — 21.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 6.4 assists. But he has not been quite the otherworldly, MVP candidate level player he was before the shutdown. In fact, the Lakers as a team have struggled to get their pre-hiatus traction back. But they’re working hard to fix that.

They will enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed and face a team that had to battle its way into the postseason. That team will no doubt come motivated and eager to show strong performance.

There will be no fans to cheer for LeBron and the Lakers which will definitely be a challenge.

“I definitely love playing in front of the fans. The fans are what make the game,” James said. “Without the fans, I wouldn’t be who I am today. To all the fans out there that come watch me play, I miss you guys and hopefully someday I can get back to that interaction.”

But the Lakers are still No. 1 team in the NBA and will overcome this period together.