Luka Doncic says LeBron James reached out after leaving the Lakers, that he thanked James in return, and that being the face of the franchise is an honour rather than pressure.
In a Sports Illustrated interview with Chris Mannix, published around 8 October 2026, Doncic addressed the transition after James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.
What Doncic said about James
Asked whether James reached out when he left, Doncic said “Yeah,” then added: “And I reached out to him. You know, ‘Thank you for everything.’ Obviously, it was amazing being his teammate. Learned so many things [from him],” Yahoo Sports reported, citing the SI interview.
On whether it then hit him that the Lakers were now his team, Doncic said it is “not really pressure. It’s an honor,” according to Lakers Wire.
Building Luka’s Lakers
SI reported Doncic hosted teammates in Ljubljana for an offseason minicamp after James’ exit, covering costs as the club integrated new pieces. Asked what parts of the roster had his fingerprints on it, Doncic smiled and said “Probably everything,” Mannix wrote.
The Lakers added Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton among others, SI said, while Austin Reaves was retained as a second creator alongside Doncic.
Preseason form
Doncic scored 23 points in 25 minutes in a 114-110 preseason win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday 8 October (US time), the Los Angeles Times reported, with Reaves contributing eight points, eight assists and five rebounds in the same minutes.
Doncic led the NBA in scoring last season at 33.5 points per game, SI noted. The Lakers open the regular season on 21 October against Golden State.
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