The Los Angeles Lakers’ season got off to a frightening start at Monday’s media day when Austin Reaves’ press conference was interrupted by a sudden scream echoing through the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo.
‘That’s disturbing,’ the 28-year-old Arkansas native chuckled after the pained, mysterious male voice was heard off in the distance.
Reporters, attending their first Lakers media day in the post-LeBron James era, responded with some uneasy laughter as the scream faded.
But just when the distressing moment seemed to have passed, the wailing returned – and along with it, the nervous chuckling from reporters.
‘This is impossible,’ Reaves added with another giggle.
The screams remain unexplained. Nothing remarkable, such as an alien abduction, was reported in the El Segundo area and Lakers fans were not present at Monday’s media day, so they can’t take the blame for the outburst. The Daily Mail has reached out to a Lakers spokesperson for further information on the disturbance.
Austin Reaves is left stunned by the sound of a male voice screaming in the distance
Lakers coach JJ Redick (center) pictured with guards Austin Reaves (left) and Luka Doncic
Reaves is coming off his best season after scoring 24.3 points to go with 5.7 assists and 4.9 rebounds a game. He also made a career-best 58.8 percent of his 2-point field-goal attempts
Reaves is coming off his best season after scoring 24.3 points to go with 5.7 assists and 4.9 rebounds a game. He also made a career-best 58.8 percent of his field-goal attempts inside the arc, making him one of the more efficient guards in the NBA.
But with James’ departure to the Philadelphia 76ers, LA is officially Luka Doncic’s town heading into the 2026-27 campaign.
The 27-year-old Slovenian averaged a league-high 33.5 points a game last season thanks to an NBA-best 10.1 free-throw attempts per game. He also averaged 8.3 assists per night for LA, which added former Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler and journeyman combo guard Collin Sexton.
But while some Lakers fans are confident entering the new season, the pecking order out west still has Oklahoma City and San Antonio looking down on Lakerland, according to the odds at Kalshi, Polymarket, DraftKings and FanDuel.
Coach JJ Redick’s team makes its preseason debut on October 5 in Sacramento and ultimately opens the regular season at home against Golden State on October 21.
PART ONE: Every ugly detail of Tom and Gisele’s marriage… the secret letter stashed in a drawer… and her savage last three words
PART TWO: Why Tom Brady’s college teammates were convinced he was gay… until one uninhibited night proved the truth: Secrets from his years before fame – and existential crisis that drove him to the brink
