The NBA-champion Cleveland Cavaliers will be conducting an informal mini camp at UC Santa Barbara this week, Noozhawk has learned.
Four-time MVP LeBron James has invited team members to join him for voluntary workouts and team bonding at the Thunderdome before the Cavaliers begin regular training camp on Sept. 27. There were no details on practice times.
A source at UCSB told Noozhawk it’s not uncommon for an NBA team captain to organize a team-bonding trip before training camp. The practice is known as “Captain’s Choice.”
According to ESPN, Cavs players and coaches will gather for workouts for several days this week in Santa Barbara ahead of the start of training camp next week.
“The session is meant to create camaraderie ahead of the season.” Last year, the team gathered in Miami for a camp that helped launch their eventual championship season, which culminated in a historic defeat of the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
The Warriors, the defending 2015 NBA champions, had raced out to a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series before James led his team to an upset victory. No NBA team had ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the championship, and James earned the finals MVP award for his efforts.
The Cavaliers’ arrival comes a week before the Los Angeles Lakers open training camp at UCSB. The Lakers will hold their media day on Sept. 26 at their facility in El Segundo before starting a week of workouts at Rob Gym the following day.
The Lakers and Cavaliers training sessions are not open to the public.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.