Lakers’ 2024-25 schedule features fewer back-to-backs, Michael Cooper’s jersey retirement – ​​Orange County Register

After a road-heavy start to last season, the Lakers’ 2024-25 schedule will be more balanced from the outset, have fewer back-to-backs and include a jersey retirement.

The NBA released the regular-season schedules on Thursday, with an Opening Night matchup and JJ Redick’s Lakers coaching debut coming against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22 at Crypto.com Arena.

The matchup against the Timberwolves will kick off a three-game homestand to start the season, which includes games against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 25 and the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 26 before the Lakers embark on a five-game road trip.

Of the Lakers’ first 19 games, 10 will be at Crypto.com Arena and nine will be on the road.

As part of the schedule release, the Lakers announced that the franchise will retire Michael Cooper’s No. 21 jersey when they host the Victor Wembanyama-led San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 13, 2025. Cooper was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this year and will be enshrined in mid-October.

Other notable games include:

• Oct. 30: at Cleveland; LeBron James’ returns to where he started his career and spent 11 of 22 seasons;

• Nov. 23: vs. Denver; the first matchup against Nuggets after Denver eliminated them in the last two postseasons;

• Dec. 25: at Golden State; a Christmas Day matchup against the Warriors in San Francisco;

• Jan. 7, 2025: at Dallas; the first game against the defending Western Conference champion Mavericks;

• Jan. 19, 2025: at Clippers; the first game against the Clippers at the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood after being Crypto.com Arena co-tenants for 25 years;

• Jan. 23, 2025: vs. Boston; hosting the defending NBA champion Celtics;

• April 13, 2025: at Portland; regular-season finale against Trail Blazers.

The Lakers’ longest stretch of matchups in Southern California will be from Jan. 9-Jan. 23 when they play eight games, including the Jan. 19, 2025, matchup against the Clippers. They’ll host five games at Crypto.com Arena from Jan. 9-17, 2025 (Charlotte, San Antonio twice, Miami, Brooklyn), then travel to the Clippers before hosting the Washington Wizards on Jan. 21, 2025, and the Celtics on Jan. 23, 2025, before their six-game Grammy road trip.

The Grammy trip (Jan. 25, 2025-Feb. 4, 2025) will feature matchups against Golden State, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington and New York before wrapping up with the Lakers returning to Southern California for a matchup against the Clippers.

The Lakers’ five-game trip from Oct. 28-Nov. 6 (Phoenix, Cleveland, Toronto, Detroit, Memphis) is tied for their most consecutive games outside of Southern California, while their six-game homestand from Feb. 25, 2025-March 6, 2025 (Dallas, Minnesota, Clippers twice, New Orleans, New York) will be their most consecutive games at Crypto.com Arena.

They have 13 sets of back-to-back games, seven of which involve travel, down from 15 back-to-backs and 10 that involved travel last season.