It’s a great time of the year to be a sports fan. From mid to late October is the only time of the year when all the major sports cross over at the same time for the sports “equinox”. The NFL season is well under way and the MLB World Series starts in just a few days. While the NFL and MLB are in key points of the season, the biggest sports story right now belongs in the NBA, where the season is not even one week underway and LeBron James is making his debut in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform. The 16-year veteran, still in the prime of his career, has spent the last 15 years playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. The sports world went into mayhem in July when James, who many consider the best basketball player ever, signed with arguably the best organization in league history.

After a long off season of anticipation building up, James made his debut for the Lakers Thursday, in a road game against the Portland Trailblazers. Despite the Lakers’ loss, there is plenty of optimism for the rest of the season. The team had many highlights that brought an energy to the team that fans had not seen in years.

Saturday night, James played his home debut in front of Laker fans. The jam-packed Staples Center was full of liveliness as fans awaited James to take the court for the first time as a Laker. “Lakers fans, the wait is over,” said rapper and actor Ice Cube in a pre-game video played on the big screen. After announcing James for official introductions of starting lineups, the in-arena announcer was drowned out by the roar of the fans. The game ended in another loss for the Lakers, bringing them to 0-2 to start the season. But, like the first game, there were plenty of highlights exciting the fans. The game included moments of Hollywood drama with an on-court fight between the two teams. Ultimately, the homecoming for James did not end as the Lakers would have liked.

Adding James, the Lakers are looking to finish the season with a winning record and make the playoffs for the first time since 2013. The Lakers have no clear-cut second-best player to compliment James. Insiders are curious to see if the Lakers will make a move at the trade deadline to acquire another star. Others are hoping one of the young players on the team will break through and become a reliable second option. Even the Lakers acquire a “sidekick” to James, they will still have a difficult season playing in a stacked Western Conference. This is James first time playing in the west. Plenty of people are skeptical of the Lakers making a run in the playoffs. If so, it would be the first time in 8 years James would not be playing in the finals.

After five straight losing season there is life in the Staples Arena again. The Lakers may not be a top team this season. But, this season, fans are more excited than they have been in years. With Lebron James coming to Los Angeles, one thing is certain, it is now a new era of the Showtime Lakers.