'Amazing Experience:' Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Dončić Issues Strong Statement on Playing With LeBron James

NBA superstar Luka Dončić of the Los Angeles Lakers was at the New York Yankees-Tampa Bay Rays game for his Jordan Brand tour on Monday. During the game, he spoke with Michael Kay and David Cone of YES Network and the topic of playing with LeBron James came up.

Dončić, who looked up to LeBron growing up in Slovenia, said it was amazing playing with King James last season.

“It was an amazing experience,” Dončić said. “I always looked up to him, the way he approaches the game, his professionalism. So when I came, he accepted me with open arms and it was just amazing to be his teammate.”

Dončić and LeBron appeared in 23 games together last season. The Lakers went 15-8. 

Los Angeles was the third seed in the 2025 Western Conference playoffs. The team lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round in five games despite having Dončić, LeBron and home-court advantage.

Dončić will sign an extension with the Lakers this weekend, while LeBron has already picked up his 2025-26 player option worth $52.6 million. The leading scorer in NBA history will become an unrestricted free agent in 2026 for the first time since 2018.

There were whispers that LeBron and Dončić didn’t like playing with each other after the Lakers lost to the Timberwolves, but Dončić’s manager quickly put an end to that rumor.

“Luka loves playing with LeBron and has learned so much from him,” Dončić’s manager, Lara Beth Seager, told Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. “He has nothing but the utmost respect for LeBron and considers it an honor to be his teammate.”

The Lakers are expected to start Dončić, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, LeBron and Deandre Ayton next season, multiple sources told DallasHoopsJournal.com.

Dončić, 26, recruited Ayton and Marcus Smart to Los Angeles.