The only signs of LeBron James inside the locker room an hour before the Los Angeles Lakers' preseason opener tipped off in Palm Desert, California, last week were his gold No. 23 uniform hanging in his cubby and a triangular foam cushion placed on the seat beneath it.
The jersey would not be needed on this night. The cushion would.
Of the 42 players listed on the Lakers' and Phoenix Suns' training camp rosters, 22 were born in the 2000s and 19 were born in the 1990s.
And one, James, was born in 1984 -- five months before Suns head coach Jordan Ott.