The Los Angeles Lakers’ 2026-27 season got its first real jolt on Monday, and it had nothing to do with basketball. During the team’s annual media day at the UCLA Health Training Center, a sudden, unsettling scream cut through live interviews and turned a routine opening into a weird scene in a hurry.
Luka Dončić, now the clear centerpiece of the franchise in this post-LeBron James era, was among the players speaking with reporters when the noise broke out. Austin Reaves was in the middle of a live broadcast interview at the same time, and the off-camera disruption threw the whole room off balance.
Reaves laughed at first with some of the people in the press area, but the reaction quickly shifted once the screaming kept coming. He called it out plainly: “That’s disturbing.” Not long after, another loud cry hit the room, and Reaves could only shake it off with disbelief before saying, “This is impossible.”
The interruption came during a day that was supposed to signal the start of a new chapter for the Lakers. This was the first season opening without LeBron James in quite some time, and media day marked the official beginning of the Luka Dončić era in Los Angeles. Dončić was introduced as the franchise’s new face, joined at the podium by Reaves and newly acquired center Walker Kessler.
On the court, Dončić and Reaves gave the Lakers plenty to feel good about last season. In the 2025-26 NBA campaign, Dončić led the league with 33.5 points per game while also averaging 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds. Reaves had his own breakout year, putting up 23.3 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game as his role expanded alongside Dončić.
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