Apr 22, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) leave a court after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 94-85 in game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Luka Doncic ‘Awestruck’ By Lakers Teammate LeBron James

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Sep 17, 2025 6:30 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers were able to bring Luka Doncic in to pair him with LeBron James for the backend of his career. James is nearing the end of a very long and storied career.

Doncic wasn't expecting to be in Los Angeles. He was thinking that he was going to spend his entire career with the Dallas Mavericks. Instead, they shipped him off to Los Angeles.

Now that Doncic is playing for the Lakers, he loves what he's seen from James. In a recent interview, he gushed about what James is still able to do.

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While speaking to Jason Gay of The Wall Street Journal, Doncic had a ton of praise for what James has accomplished already and what he still can do as a player.

"He’s been awestruck by James’s rigorous conditioning and business acumen, and says he wants to learn more from him. Like James, Doncic is intrigued by sports ownership, and it doesn’t have to be basketball. “That’s something I’m very, very interested in,” he says."

Doncic is impressed with the things that James has been able to accomplish off the court as well as on the court in his career. Doncic wants to do some of those same things.

Once James does retire, he will look to get involved in an ownership group with a team. He is one of the richest athletes in the world, so he certainly can afford a sizable stake in a team.

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Luka Doncic Would Love to Win a Title For The Lakers and James

Doncic came close to winning a title during the 2023-24 season when he led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals. James has been able to win four titles in his career with three different teams.

Doncic would love to help James win one final championship before he decides to retire. James has been chasing that fifth title for quite a while. This year will be his best chance to do that because the Lakers have Doncic for the entire season.

After being traded to Los Angeles, Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. He shot 43.8 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.