LeBron James Hosts Pre-Season Basketball Training Camp In Los Angeles

Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James assembled his teammates for a pre-season basketball workout at the University of California-Santa Barbara Tuesday before next week's official team training camp.

This is the second consecutive year the Cavs scheduled workouts at the California-based university, which is expected to last a few days. James used the scheduled workouts to lift weights and practice basketball drills.

Cavaliers point guard Isaiah Thomas, who the team acquired via blockbuster trade for All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving in August, is expected to join his teammates for the workout this week, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. The two-time All-Star will likely miss the start of the NBA season due to an injured hip. Besides teammates, Cavs coach Tyronn Lue and team staff are supposed to oversee the workouts.

This workout is crucial for the Cavaliers after the team overhauled its roaster and added veteran players Derrick Rose, Jeff Green, Jae Crowder, Jose Calderon, Ante Zizic and Cedi Osman this offseason. The workout will give the new teammates a chance to train together before they take the floor for the start of the NBA season in October. The new acquisitions happened after the Cavs suffered defeat at the hands of the supercharged Golden State Warriors during the NBA Finals in June.

Meanwhile, James and Cavaliers teammate Kevin Love worked out Monday at Love’s former college, the University of California-Los Angeles. James took to Instagram and documented his workout with the Cavs big man.

"Yo, I appreciate you allowing me to use your facilities all summer. I really do," James said to his teammate in part of his Instagram story.

In a subsequent Instagram story clip, James added: "Incoming freshman, here shadowing, you know, the upperclassmen; he’s showing me around campus right now."

Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith — who missed last year’s scheduled University of California, Santa Barbara camp due to contract negations — is also expected to attend. Smith has been stationed in Los Angeles since Friday and was part of the Cavaliers team that secured an NBA championship in 2016.

This isn’t the first time James scheduled a pre-training camp workout. The four-time MVP gathered his Cavaliers teammates for a workout session in Miami in 2015. James reportedly started the camp after his Cavs suffered a devastating loss to the Warriors in the 2015 NBA Finals. The team was short-handed with injured starters Love and then-point guard Irving. The team lost in six games.

Bron and Wade getting ready for the season _ (via @KingJames) pic.twitter.com/vOTnSpuCpb

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 14, 2017

James used the workouts to take his game to the next level and train with teammates during the offseason, and former teammate Joe Harris praised him for it. The NBA season kicks off Oct. 17.

"I think it's great what LeBron is doing," Harris told NEOMG. "LeBron is the leader of our team. He's setting the tone and wants to make sure we're getting work in and going into camp with the same attitude and mentality. He's focused and wants to make sure we're all on the same page. He's on a mission."