Sports | July 17, 2018 2:48 pm

LeBron James and New Coach Luke Walton Meet for First Time as Lakers

The King and his former NBA opponent got together to talk in Las Vegas.

Head coach Luke Walton of the Los Angeles Lakers watches action during Day One of the NBA Draft Combine at Quest MultiSport Complex on May 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Stacy Revere

By Evan Bleier @itishowitis

LeBron James and his new coach met in Vegas – and the news about it didn’t stay there.

For the first time since signing with the Lakers as a free agent, James met with Los Angeles coach Luke Walton while attending a Summer League game in Las Vegas on Sunday.

James and Walton, who played against each other in the NBA and were both on the Cavaliers (albeit at different times), had previously only texted since James agreed to his four-year deal.

Walton told ESPN he was encouraged by the conversation. “He’s about the team. He’s about doing things the right way, and he’s about winning,” Walton said. “I can work with those qualities.”

The young coach also got some words of encouragement – or something – from his father Bill after news of the James signing was announced. The elder Walton, a staunch Grateful Dead fan, called his son from a concert after learning about he signing.

“He had [drummer] Mickey Hart in the background yelling at me that, ‘The rhythm is the answer to everything in life,’” Luke Walton said of the call. “So once I figure out what that means, we’ll be good.”