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Luke Kennard #10 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates with Deandre Ayton #5, Austin Reaves #15, LeBron James #23, Luka Doncic #77, and Jake LaRavia #12 after scoring a go-ahead three-point-basket in the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic at Kia Center on March 21, 2026 in Orlando, Florida.
The Los Angeles Lakers are connected both on and off the court. During the team’s off day on Sunday, franchise star Luka Doncic, head coach JJ Redick, veteran LeBron James and others hit the links in sunny Florida to enjoy a game of golf, a day after their 105-104 victory over the Orlando Magic.
Lakers assistant coach Beau Levesque shared pictures of the Lakers bonding off the court on the first day after the Spring equinox. Besides avid golfers like Doncic, Reaves, James and Bronny James, the group also included Luke Kennard, the hero of Saturday’s win in Orlando, and members of Redick’s coaching staff.
Lakers Road Trip Continues
Earlier in the week, James, Bronny, Doncic and Reaves also hit several other links in Florida after their 134-126 win against the Miami Heat.
The Lakers, 4-0 in their ongoing 6-game road trip, have the chance to go 6-0 with wins over the Detroit Pistons on Monday and the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday before returning home to host the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night. Redick’s team can essentially clinch the third seed for good with the hat-trick of wins, considering that it owns tiebreakers against the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets.
Lakers Fans React to Golf Bonding
Several Lakers fans couldn’t help but notice that Kennard received an invite to play with the team just a day after he hit a buzzer-beating three to seal the win in Orlando.
“luke kennard got his invite 😂,” wrote @Philliph0ang.
“This kind of chemistry matters more than people think 🔥,” wrote @ProvenceStyleCo.
“Team chemistry to keep building this avalanche of wins! 📈,” wrote @LakerLegend95.
“Lakers building something special off the court,” wrote @Dayo94253816. “When your stars actually enjoy being around each other, that’s when championships happen. Golf trips aren’t distractions, they’re the foundation. This team feels different. Chemistry wins games.”
“Team vibes are off the charts,” wrote @jordanumbers
Kennard, the NBA’s most efficient three-point shooter, received high praise from his teammates and coaches after his clutch shot on Saturday.
“I’m really happy for him,” Redick said of Kennard, who was acquired by the Lakers ahead of the Feb. NBA trade deadline.
“I really am. Him and I had a great conversation this morning. He wants it so bad. He wants to help this team. I think it’s hard getting traded mid season, I’ve talked about so many times. Sometimes you get in an earthly and then you get out of that rhythm. All night, he was just really really good for us. And deserved that opportunity, and all the work. That’s a money shot for him.”
Kennard admitted that the shot brought him closer to his Lakers teammates.
Just being part of a new team, obviously you’re building your new relationships, trying to find your role, what you do,” Kennard said. “They brought me here for a reason. And that was to shoot. It feels good. It feels good the way everybody reacted, obviously. We’ve had a really good stretch of games, so the wind was the most important thing.”
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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