Once upon a time, Luka Doncic thought he would finish his NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks, the team that traded for his rights during the 2018 NBA Draft. But that expectation ended when he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2025.
For a while following that trade, Doncic was in shock. But he got over that shock long ago, and he is now fully committed to winning at least one championship with the Lakers, as evidenced by the ad he took out in Wednesday's edition of the Los Angeles Times ahead of the team's 127-105 victory to start its regular-season schedule.
He told Melissa Rohlin of the California Post that by the start of last season, he was starting to feel at home in L.A.
“After that, at training camp last year, I felt I was where I belonged,” Dončić told the California Post. “I feel very good in LA. I’m very excited. Very happy. Obviously it’s a beautiful place to live. But just being with the Lakers organization, being a part of it, it’s such an honor. It’s amazing to be here.”
Doncic is now the unquestioned leader and centerpiece of the Lakers, and he is endearing himself to their fans. He has been very generous off the court, as he donated $500,000 last year to the relief efforts following the wildfires that ravaged the area while paying for a mural of Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna that was vandalized to be restored. The fact that he averaged 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.6 steals last season and has now gotten into fantastic shape for two offseasons in a row hasn't exactly hurt either.
He also said he would like to end his career with the Lakers when he was asked if he would like to do so.
“Hopefully, yeah,” Dončić told the California Post. “But as you know in this NBA business, you never know what’s going to happen. But I feel like I’ve found something here that’s very comfortable for me. And hopefully [that happens].”
Doncic is undoubtedly locked in right now, and at age 27 (he was 25 when he was traded), he has the opportunity to become a historical face of the Lakers, just as the elder Bryant was for so many years. Delivering at least one Larry O'Brien Trophy to the storied franchise will make fans fall in love with him even more than they already have.
This article originally appeared on Lakers Wire: Luka Doncic says he wants to finish his NBA career with the Lakers