Walker Kessler Can’t Contain Excitement For Lakers Debut

The Los Angeles Lakers take the court for their first game of the 2026-27 NBA season on Wednesday night as they face the Golden State Warriors in a primetime home game. It will be the first official game for a new-look Lakers squad, headlined by the debut of starting center Walker Kessler.

The Lakers and Kessler have been angling to team up for years now, but it finally came to fruition in July, when L.A. shipped two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps to the Utah Jazz for the right to sign the big man to a four-year, $130 million contract as a restricted free agent. And the defensive stalwart is ready to finally suit up for the purple and gold.

“Yeah, man, I’m just so excited,” Kessler said. “I’m so excited to get back out there, it’s been a long time since I’ve played, you know, a real NBA game. And as far as the history, I’m so grateful to be a part of this organization and have a chance to compete for an organization that has the history that it does.”

One thing Kessler is particularly excited about is playing in front of the Crypto.com Arena crowd. He reminisced on the energy he’s seen from the fanbase from his road games when he was with the Jazz.

“The energy is great,” he said. “I remember being in Utah playing here, and every time we played the Lakers out in L.A. I was there for Luka’s opening night and it was insane. The fanbase is unreal, the energy is great. Playing for that, obviously, you can place yourself with a little bit of pressure, but for me I always look at it as an opportunity to compete for such a great franchise.”

When asked what it’s going to look like when he gets on the floor for an official game for the first time in nearly a full year, he joked. But he also explained that he’s just ready to be out there again.

“Couldn’t tell you, I haven’t played yet,” Kessler said, laughing. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun, I think there’s going to be a lot of nerves going into the game. As soon as the whistle blows, the rest of it will take care of itself. Getting back in rhythm’s gonna be big for me, but it comes with reps, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity and just to play again.”

The Lakers made a massive swing in landing Kessler this offseason, with the belief that he is the center of the future to pair with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Wednesday night marks the start of the next era of Lakers basketball, with Kessler as the big man in the middle of it.

Walker Kessler wants to win

Kessler was asked about any individual goals he might have for the season, but his focus was on the team.

“I just want to win. Individually, I want to win. Which, in turn, the team will win,” he said.