Luka Doncic was always expected to take a leadership role with the Lakers. And now it seems the hand has fit the glove for him as the 26-year-old superstar is hosting team bonding activities for the roster tonight. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Doncic plans to take the team to the Porsche Driving Experience Center in Southern California.
“Today after practice, he’s taking all this team, on his own dime, to the Porsche Driving Experience in Southern California. They’re going to be going around the lap in 911s and GT3s.”
“It’s going to be the type of thing where you get your mind away from the basketball court, and you get to see each other in a different environment. Have some fun doing it, and build some memories that you hope can take you through some lean times that are going to occur at any time over an 82-game season,” said the ESPN reporter on NBA Today.
“Each Lakers player will get their choice of three different cars to test out on the tracks,” McMenamin further detailed on X.
According to BasketNews, Doncic has two Porsches included in his luxurious car collection, which also includes rare cars like the Rimac Nevera. He has the Porsche 911 Turbo S and Panamera 4 in his garage. Similarly, even LeBron James is reported to have three Porsches, including the rare $1 million worth 918 Spyder and the 911 Turbo S, similar to Doncic’s.
This shows that the Lakers’ superstars are very aligned with the Porsche brand and love their cars, especially. Thus, this would be a unique and elite experience for young players like Nick Smith Jr and Bronny James to drive a luxurious car and have simulator experiences with the veterans on the team. Also, new additions like Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia, and Deandre Ayton would get a chance to break the ice with the team.
The Lakers are hoping that Doncic will soon be ready to play during the preseason. JJ Redick recently confirmed that both LeBron James and Luka Doncic have returned to a modified version of the practice, which he jokingly termed ‘load management’. Other players, such as Marcus Smart and Maxi Kleber, have also returned to practice in the same manner, indicating positive signs that the roster will be fully healthy for the upcoming season soon.
The Los Angeles Lakers are set to face the Golden State Warriors in their next game on Sunday night, October 12. We might see Doncic suit up for the first time this season on that day.
