EL SEGUNDO — Before the Lakers embarked on their 1,700-plus mile flight to Milwaukee for Thursday’s preseason matchup against the Bucks at Fiserv Forum, star forward LeBron James questioned why the game was scheduled in the first place.

“Can someone please explain to me why we’re getting on a [plane emoji] and heading to Milwaukee for [one] pre-season game!?!?” James posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.

The Thursday matchup will be the Lakers’ third of six preseason games, with all their exhibitions being played away from their home arena of Crypto.com Arena.

The downtown L.A. venue is going through the final phase of a three-year renovation plan, affecting more than just the Lakers’ preseason schedule.

The NHL’s Kings will play their first seven regular-season games on the road before their home opener on Oct. 24 – two days after the Lakers’ regular-season home opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22.

The Lakers are coming off losses to the Timberwolves on Friday night and the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night, with the Lakers hosting both games at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert – about a two-hour bus ride from the team’s El Segundo practice facility.

After Thursday’s matchup, the Lakers will get a couple of days off before playing their final three preseason games in four days:

• vs. the Golden State Warriors at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Tuesday;

• at the Phoenix Suns at the Footprint Center on Oct. 17;

• at the Warriors at Chase Center on Oct. 18.

“Not an ideal preseason for us,” Lakers coach JJ Redick responded after Tuesday’s practice when asked about the preseason travel schedule.

The Lakers would typically play a couple of exhibitions at their home arena in addition to a couple of road games against Western Conference opponents and hosting matchups at a neutral site in the Southern California area  – such as Palm Desert or Anaheim – or even Las Vegas.

Unlike the regular season, teams are mostly responsible for creating their preseason schedules.

ESPN reported that the Lakers’ preseason trip to Milwaukee is part of a prearranged deal of a home-and-home series.

The Bucks traveled to Los Angeles last fall for an exhibition as part of a three-game trip that included matchups against the Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder, but they scheduled the matchups in a way that allowed them to be in Southern California for nearly a week.

The Lakers’ trip will be much quicker.

LAKERS AT BUCKS

When: Thursday, 5 p.m. PT

Where: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee

TV/radio: Spectrum SportsNet, 710 AM

Indigenous Peoples’ Day kicks off with live performances and expert-guided exhibits at the Milwaukee Public Museum.

The event is October 14, 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.

Ho-Chunk drum group Little Priest will perform at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and dance group México Indígena will be performing at noon and 2:00 p.m.

A question and answer session with the drum keeper from Little Priest will be open to visitors before the performance at 10:45.

Milwaukee Public Museum

MPM curators will also be available to discuss the Native American exhibits and allow hands-on learning opportunities with some of MPM’s artifacts and specimens.

For tickets to attend the celebration, click here.

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If you care passionately about informing readers about health-related topics and giving Milwaukee residents the information they need to navigate complicated systems, then the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service wants to hear from you.

We seek a reporter who can dig into issues such as the city’s ongoing lead crisis; infant mortality; the lingering effects of COVID; and how residents can live healthier lives. We want someone who can aggressively and masterfully cover the Milwaukee Health Department and other governmental entities while shining a light –and solutions–on health disparities that plague our communities of color in Milwaukee.

You will also be a key contributor to News 414, a reader-engagement initiative that  delivers resources to community residents via texts and other forms of outreach.

Because we serve Black and Brown communities that have been misrepresented, ignored or only get media attention when there is crime and conflict, NNS has a three-pronged editorial agenda.

We celebrate the resilience of residents by consistently and unapologetically spotlighting the good works of our community leaders and organizations. We educate our readers by connecting them to resources that can help uncomplicate their busy lives. And we illuminate through good shoe-leather watchdog reporting issues that create much-needed dialogue while holding institutions and leaders accountable.

This job requires curiosity, creativity and tenacity. We seek reporters who have initiative, resolve and the willingness to dig deep while simultaneously centering the voices of communities of color into their stories. We are not looking for stenographers who summarize meetings or rewrite news releases. Instead, we seek journalists who can connect the dots and deliver insightful stories that leave our readers better informed.

What you can expect from us

The Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service (NNS) is an ambitious nonprofit newsroom that serves the city’s Black and Latinx communities. Our readers are our neighbors and filling their information needs is our top priority.

We are a division of Wisconsin Watch, a statewide nonprofit that focuses on high-quality, impactful journalism, and have offices in Marquette University’s Diederich College of Communication.

We value collaboration, communication and creativity. And we hire people for who they are … and for what they can become. We want everyone to win.

What makes an outstanding candidate

You’re a good fit if:

• You have a demonstrated commitment to the use of investigative journalism and you live to develop and execute sustained, powerful stories that spur reform.
• You are organized and can handle multiple projects under tight deadlines.
• You have a collaborative spirit and want to work with a team to give central city Milwaukee residents the journalism they want, need and deserve. You believe that we are all stronger together.
• You believe that legacy models for local media’s business and journalism are broken and that new approaches are needed to serve the public and our democracy.
• You have sharp news judgment and a strong record of detailed reporting and powerful storytelling.
• You are obsessed with accuracy and transparency.
• You have adept interviewing skills: This reporter will need to talk to high-level officials and neighborhood residents.
• You have some proficiency – or at least interest – in working with data and public records.
• You have strong people skills and an affinity for working with others.
• You believe in our North Star: to give Milwaukee residents the newsroom they deserve

 Audio or video reporting skills are a plus.

Responsibilities

The reporter will: 

• Work with the managing editor to strategize, frame, report and write news and feature stories. 
• Develop sources in the medical community and engage members of the public in identifying the information gaps that need to be filled. 
• Write two to three stories a week and contribute to community engagement efforts.

Location: The reporter will be based in Milwaukee. Some evening and weekend work is necessary. We have a hybrid workplace and expect you to be more in the community than in our office.

We know no one is perfect

We expect great things. But we know no one can have all the skills listed above. So apply anyway.

We encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people, veterans and people with disabilities. We believe that a newsroom that includes a broad range of life experiences will ultimately produce better journalism.

What we want to see from you

• A cover letter telling us why you seek the position and why you are the right person for our team.
• A resume
• Links or PDF files of at least three examples of your best work.

How much does the position pay?

The salary range for this position is $40,000 to $45,000 a year plus health and other benefits

Have questions?

You can reach out to Executive Director Ron Smith and discuss this position. He can be reached at rsmith@milwaukeenns.org. Please put “Health Reporter” in the e-mail subject line.

Now go ahead and apply

Submit you application here