Los Angeles Lakers Stars LeBron James, Luka Dončić ‘Motivating’ Each Other, Per Greg St. Jean

NBA stars LeBron James and Luka Dončić of the Los Angeles Lakers are “motivating” each other this offseason, according to Greg St. Jean.

St. Lean, an assistant coach on the Lakers, is with Dončić right now at EuroBasket for team Slovenia.

Los Angeles lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 playoffs in five games despite having Dončić, James and home-court advantage.

Dončić, who signed a three-year extension with the Lakers on August 2, has lost a lot of weight this offseason and is in elite shape.

“You know what? I always find this — iron sharpens iron,” St. Jean told BasketNews. “When you’re around really good players, it’s just like when you’re a coach, and you’re around a really good coach. You can’t help but be motivated to continue to get better at your craft.

“I think Luka’s learned a little bit from every great player he’s been around. And I know he’s always looked up to LeBron. He’s always been somebody he’s really admired. So I think having those two together is obviously motivating. I think it’s two-way motivating as well. I don’t think it’s just a one-way street.

“I think LeBron, you can see, is working really hard as well. He’s up at 5 a.m., and he’s working on his body as well. So, I think our team and our players — it’s not just about those two guys — but I think everybody’s motivated to come back and have a really good season.”

Luka Dončić and LeBron James, two of the top players in the NBA, played 23 games together last season. The Lakers went 15–8 in those games.

Dončić averaged 27.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.4 blocks alongside James, who averaged 23.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks next to Dončić in 2024-25.

James, 40, picked up his 2025-26 player option with the Lakers. He will make $52.6 million next season in the final year of his contract. The leading scorer in NBA history will become an unrestricted free agent next offseason for the first time since 2018.

Dončić wants James to retire from the NBA with the Lakers, a source told DallasHoopsJournal. Dončić has frequently said James was the player he watched most growing up. The former Dallas Mavericks star enjoyed playing alongside James last season and believes the Lakers can contend for the championship in 2025-26.