Slovenian Teammate Credits Luka Doncic For Growing As Leader

With Luka Doncic officially signing his contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, it has been firmly established that he will be the face of the franchise going forward. And he already seems to embracing that role, setting the example with the complete body transformation that he underwent this offseason, putting in the necessary work to be in the best shape of his career.

Simply being the best player on the Lakers won’t be enough, however, as Doncic also must be a leader on this team. There are many different styles of leadership and Luka must find his voice and the style that fits him best, but he apparently is already doing so with the Slovenian National Team.

Doncic is leading Slovenia at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 tournament and veteran teammate Klemen Prepelič recently spoke about the Lakers’ superstar’s growth as a leader, via SportKlub:

“Luka with his constant availability and commitment, shows an ideal attitude towards the national team, is open and positive. He knows how to cheer on young people.

“In addition, he has changed a bit. He talks significantly more than in the past. This is probably related to the challenge that awaits him at the LA Lakers, where he is becoming the first face of the franchise and a true leader.

“His basketball IQ is unimaginable. Whatever he says, he says in good faith, with enthusiasm and in the hope that his teammate will be better because of it.”

Luka’s talent and skill is evident, but that doesn’t automatically make someone a good leader. But the things that Prepelič spoke about such as his improved communication and positive overall attitude will go along way in his Lakers teammates following him.

For now, Doncic’s focus is solely on EuroBasket and trying lead Slovenia to a medal in the prestigious tournament. But his experience there will no doubt give him some great experiences to come back to the Lakers and hit the ground running.

Luka Doncic appreciates Lakers organization welcoming him with open arms

It has been a pretty tumultuous 2025 for Luka Doncic as he did not expect to be traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers. But ever since that deal came through, the Lakers franchise has done everything possible to make Doncic feel welcome and, after signing his three-year contract extension, he thanked the entire organization.

“I just want to say thank you. Like I said in Spanish, you guys welcomed me with open arms,” Doncic said of the Lakers. “Thank you Mark (Walter), thank you Jeanie (Buss), JJ (Redick), Rob (Pelinka). The whole organization welcomed me with open arms and I can’t wait to get started.”