Examining the Luka-LeBron Dynamic

Rob Pelinka, Lakers general manager and vice president of basketball operations, sat next to Dončić while displaying enthusiastic body language. Pelinka called it a “monumental moment in Lakers history” for “the best young basketball player in the universe” to commit further to “the best sports franchise in the globe.” 

Pelinka was speaking in front of an audience that included the Lakers’ governor (Jeanie Buss) and head coach (JJ Redick) and Dončić’s management team (business partner Lara Beath Seager, agent Bill Duffy). The audience also featured several of Dončić’s teammates, including Ayton, Smart, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaxson Hayes and Maxi Kleber. That moment captured the unity Dončić has fostered among the Lakers’ front office, coaching staff and players as he strives to deliver the franchise its 18th NBA championship — and perhaps more. It also captured James’ conspicuous absence. ESPN reported that LeBron connected with Dončić via FaceTime to congratulate him on his extension.

Luka Dončić 2024-25 stats

LeBron’s absence had nothing to do with Dončic personally. Even when considering James’ busy offseason itinerary, however, his absence symbolized the current disconnect with the Lakers’ front office.

After James exercised his $52.6 million player option to stay with the Lakers, agent Rich Paul released a statement to ESPN and The Athletic that left the Lakers and other teams wondering about James’ intentions.  

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul said in the statement. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie and Rob and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career. We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”

James faced league-wide skepticism that he would leave L.A. Only the Brooklyn Nets had cap space. Every team would listen to a James offer, but they wouldn’t gut their roster to acquire him this late in his career. No way would James negotiate a buyout, accept a massive pay cut and leave his son Bronny. James never asked for a trade. 

When James turned 40 on Dec. 30, 2024, he pondered what it would mean to him if he retired as a Laker. “I think that’s the plan. I would love for it to end here,” James said then. “That would be the plan. I came here to play the last stages of my career and to finish it off here. But I’m also not silly or too jaded to know the business of the game as well and know the business of basketball. But I think my relationship with this organization speaks for itself. Hopefully I don’t have to go nowhere.”

LeBron James 2024-25 stats

After all, James’ partnership with the Lakers since 2018 has benefited both parties. He helped the Lakers win the 2020 NBA championship in the campus bubble during the pandemic, ending the organization’s six-year playoff drought. He became the first father to play with his son in an NBA game while putting down roots in Los Angeles.  

Still, the relationship between James and the Lakers has often felt transactional. Lakers fans never fully embraced him as they did their homegrown stars (Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant). James spent most of his NBA career as a rival in Cleveland (2003-10, ’14-18) and Miami (2010-14). 

Though the Lakers have made the NBA playoffs in five of James’ seven seasons there, he has played through four different head coaches, endured numerous injuries and faced criticism for exerting his influence with the front office. Those around James contend that he only encouraged the Lakers to maximize his championship window without dictating whom to sign. 

Either way, Pelinka describes his offseason talks with James and Paul as “positive and supportive” as well as “very professional.” Pelinka says that he has had “open and constant” dialogue with Paul. And Pelinka stresses that “we’re in win-championship-now mode always” and will pursue big deals if they significantly enhance the Lakers’ title chances. 

Though the Lakers lost a valued veteran wing to the Houston Rockets (Dorian Finney-Smith), they mitigated his departure by signing another strong 3-and-D player (Jake LaRavia). Ayton and Smart say they joined the Lakers mostly because of their respect for both Dončić and James. Despite struggling in the Lakers’ first-round playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Hayes returned on a one-year deal as Ayton’s backup at center. Dončić played the recruiting role that James once relished, but he also wants to win an NBA title as soon as possible after guiding the Mavericks to the Finals only two years ago. The Lakers made these moves while staying under the second apron to avoid league-imposed restrictions on how to assemble their roster. 

“LeBron’s going to have high expectations for the roster, and we’re going to do everything we can to meet those,” Pelinka says. “But I also know that whatever it is, he’s still going to give his 110% every night — whether that’s scoring, assisting, defending, rebounding, leading. We know that’s always going to be 100%, and that never wavers.”

Whatever James’ misgivings about the front office, it hasn’t negatively impacted his play. In his 22nd NBA season, James performed at an All-Star level while ranking 13th in points per game (24.4) and sixth in assists per game (8.2).

After the Lakers acquired Dončić, James willingly reduced his ball-handling responsibilities, moved off the ball and embraced a larger defensive-oriented role. He scoffed at questions about how he would mesh with Dončić and what they could accomplish together. “Whatever we want it to be. It won’t take long,” James said after the trade. “I can play with anybody, and I think he can as well. So we’ll work well together.” 

Dončić looked forlorn at his introductory press conference with the Lakers because he was still struggling to process the fact that the Mavericks had dealt him. Dončić had believed he would follow Dirk Nowitzki as Dallas’ franchise cornerstone. 

Nevertheless, Dončić sounded enthusiastic about playing for an iconic franchise with a generational talent. “We both make our teammates better,” Dončić said of James. “I think our IQ is very high. So I think that’s going to help everybody.”

It sure did. While James thrived as an off-ball scorer, Dončić excelled as both a scorer and primary playmaker. The Lakers secured the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference partly because they succeeded with small-ball lineups and partly because James became a more willing and effective defender than in past seasons. It also helped that Dončić and James produced offensively. 

All of those positive developments fizzled, though, during the Lakers’ first-round series loss to the Timberwolves. The Wolves made Hayes a liability down low and exposed the Lakers’ small-ball lineups.  

Though Dončić averaged 30.2 points (on 45.2% shooting) along with 7.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in the playoffs, he played too much isolation basketball and dealt with various injuries in Game 3 (stomach) and Game 5 (back). Despite averaging 25.4 points (on 48.9% shooting) along with 9.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game in the postseason, James appeared fatigued in crunch time. The Lakers’ inconsistent ball movement also limited James’ off-the-ball effectiveness.  

“It’s tough to get that chemistry on the court without any practices,” Dončić said about his time with James. “So I’m really excited to have the preseason with [LeBron] so we can learn about each other on the court a lot.” 

Dončić said he took a month off to rest both his mind and body. He then devoted the rest of his offseason to weight training, conditioning drills and improved dieting. Men’s Health profiled Dončić’s efforts to add strength and reduce body fat. 

“It was like a fresh start for me,” Dončić said. “Obviously, I was on my way toward doing it. I had a fresh start and a little bit more time to get my mind off basketball and do other things.”

Meanwhile, James vacationed in France and visited Las Vegas to see a portion of Bronny’s Summer League games. LeBron has also trained extensively, but not without controversy. He posted photos of himself on his Instagram page of practicing both at the Cleveland Cavaliers’ practice facility and the Los Angeles Clippers’ old facility, which Klutch Sports owns and uses for its clients. 

“In terms of LeBron’s career, I think the No. 1 thing we have to do there is respect he and his family’s decision on how long he’s going to play,” Pelinka says. “We want to respect his ability to come up with his timetable on that. That’s really important. But if he had a chance to retire as a Laker, that would be great.”

Predicting how that will play out seems as difficult as stopping James and Dončić together on the court. James has played at an All-Star-caliber level during every season with the Lakers (2018-25). But he has also missed at least 11 games each season because of various ailments. James will turn 41 on Dec. 30, which only heightens the possibility that he’ll feel Father Time’s unforgiving touch. Nonetheless, James has already defied the odds to this point in his career. 

The Lakers appear convinced that James and Dončić can dominate enough as a duo to help the team win a title — at least for one season. Amid their dueling priorities, the Lakers, Dončić and James would certainly endorse that outcome.