Luka Doncic is already one of the biggest stars in basketball. Now, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar is taking his first major step into team ownership. Doncic has joined a group led by former Dallas Mavericks executive Donnie Nelson to purchase Italian club Vanoli Cremona, with plans to relocate the team to Rome ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The ownership group has also submitted a bid for the franchise to become Rome’s representative in the proposed NBA Europe league.
For Doncic, the move represents a personal dream becoming reality.
“I have dreamed about owning a team in Europe for a long time, to finally have this happen is amazing,” Doncic said in a statement. “Vanoli has a great history, and we are ready to take it to the next level in Rome. We have an amazing group of partners, and I really believe we can do something special for basketball in Italy and Europe.”
The project reunites Doncic with Nelson, the executive who played a key role in bringing the Slovenian superstar to Dallas on draft night in 2018. Nelson serves as the lead investor and managing partner of the group, which also includes legendary Italian coach Valerio Bianchini and former European star Rimantas Kaukenas.
The timing is significant.
Earlier this year, NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed that the NBA and FIBA are working together on the creation of NBA Europe, a new competition that could launch as early as 2027. Current discussions center around a 16-team league featuring major cities across Europe, including Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, London, Munich, Athens, Istanbul, Milan, and Rome.
Rome is considered one of the strongest candidates for the new league. The city has been without a top-flight professional basketball team since Virtus Roma ceased operations in 2020 due to financial issues.
For Doncic, the investment also reflects his deep connection to European basketball. Before becoming an NBA superstar, he developed into one of the continent’s greatest young prospects with Real Madrid, winning a EuroLeague title and EuroLeague MVP before entering the NBA.
At just 27 years old, Doncic is already building a résumé that extends beyond his playing career.
On the court, he remains one of the league’s elite players. During the 2025-26 season, Doncic averaged 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists while shooting 47.6% from the field and 36.6% from three-point range. He led the NBA in scoring, recorded 44 games with at least 30 points, produced 16 games with 40 or more points, and finished fourth in MVP voting.
Now, he is adding team owner to his growing list of accomplishments.
While Doncic’s primary focus remains on bringing another championship to the Lakers, this move signals that he is already thinking about basketball’s future. If NBA Europe launches as planned, Doncic’s Rome-based franchise could become one of the flagship organizations in what many believe will be the next major expansion of the sport.
