The Los Angeles Lakers are witnessing Luka Doncic becoming a strong leader ahead of the regular season. Doncic is doing little things outside of the NBA player protocol to show his support of the Lakers fan base. News broke today of Luka going out of his way to pay for fans traveling to the home opener against the Golden State Warriors.
The Lakers confirmed that fans parking at or biking to the game will get some love from Doncic:
“According to the Lakers’ communications department, Doncic arranged free parking for fans at a lot near Crypto.com Arena and partnered with Metro Bike Share to offer complimentary rides throughout Los Angeles.”
Luka has done similar things in the past to help out both Lakers fans and his former Dallas Mavericks fans when he played there. Parking is a bit expensive in Los Angeles to make this gesture appreciated by Lakers fans who are already paying big money for the home opener.
Extra hype is set for tonight’s game to see Stephen Curry and Doncic going against each other with their high-profile teams. Fans to use city bikes in Los Angeles will get the price covered by Luka as well. Expect Lakers fans to cheer Doncic extra loudly knowing he helped their commutes.
Luka Doncic’s Act Represents Bigger Picture
Doncic has spent two seasons with the Lakers, but he embraces a new role entering this season. LeBron James was the unofficial leader of the team since he’s the older player who has been in the league for almost 25 years.
The loss of James picking the Philadelphia 76ers over the Lakers in free agency drastically changes the environment. Doncic was already the best player on the roster, but the Lakers are now “Luka’s team” without LeBron on the roster anymore.
A smart move of showing extra appreciation to the fans proves that Doncic views this role with great importance. Luka has already talked about wanting to play the rest of his career in Los Angeles. This just proves he’s telling the truth by trying to create a closer relationship with Lakers fans by spending his own money to make life easier for them.
Lakers Fans Fully Trusting Luka Doncic
Many pundits have buried the Lakers’ offseason for losing too many players and not upgrading them effectively. LeBron joined Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, and a handful of other names who left the Lakers for better situations on other teams.
The Lakers went “all in” on extending Austin Reaves and trading for Walker Kessler to build a roster around Doncic. Multiple risky moves could see things backfire fast, but the Lakers are trusting that Luka’s style will lead them to title contention.
Opening night is a big one for the Lakers against the weaker Warriors team missing Jimmy Butler. An impressive outing for Doncic and a victory would help provide more confidence for the Lakers in a challenging season. The West sees many contenders at the top that require the Lakers to play their best basketball for any ideal playoff seed.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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