If there was any doubt about the Lakers‘ unrelenting support of Luka Doncic, their trip to Poland this summer put that to rest. This week, ahead of Luka’s opener for the 2025 EuroBasket tournament, Lakers executives (including Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss) attended the Slovenian national team’s final practice and sent out a statement of support for their franchise player.
“We just wanted to make a statement to Luka that we support what he does for his country. That’s really important to the Lakers when we have a player that’s the face of our franchise, just to show that support for him,” Pelinka said, via Dan Woike of The Athletic. “It’s just great to see him with his teammates, interacting, having fun. As you said, he is in great shape, really committed to working hard this summer, and to be able to watch that in person was worth flying over the ocean to come be with him.”
It isn’t lost on anyone that the flight from Los Angeles was roughly 12 hours, but it only served to strengthen the bond between the Lakers and their young superstar. While there is some concern among the fans about injuries or fatigue going into the season, the Lakers are giving him their trust and support, with the belief that he’ll be ready to lead when the NBA season begins in October.
“We want to let him focus and dedicate to this tournament, EuroBasket, and not distract him in any way,” Pelinka said. “We want him to be a hundred percent, be able to play for his country with pride, and he’ll turn his attention to the Lakers as soon as this tournament ends, hopefully with them going far and maybe winning.”
Luka stole the show in the exhibition stages of EuroBasket. Against Latvia, he dropped a clean 26 points in the first half thanks to a slimmer frame, quicker step, and a new drive to prove his worth after his fallout with the Mavericks.
Luka’s Slovenian teammates and coaches have been singing praise about his new physique and his improved leadership, claiming that he’s talking and communicating more than he ever has before. With three more games set over the next two weeks, the work has only just begun for Doncic, and by the time EuroBasket wraps up, it’ll be time to prepare for the regular season.
With averages of 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game last season, it’s hard to believe that Doncic was traded for being out of shape and unconditioned, but the Mavericks have lit a fire under him that is already having a noticeable impact on his game, body, and approach to the game.
Alongside LeBron James and Austin Reaves, Doncic will have a chance to experience his best season yet, and having the Lakers’ full support will likely allow him to play without the stress or fear of uncertainty. Most importantly, the Lakers are letting Luka be Luka with the freedom to make his own choices about how he spends his summer.
Despite the injury risk, it’s a great sign that Doncic is choosing to play basketball on his time off when he could be relaxing instead. In the end, Pelinka is just happy to have him and wants to establish a positive relationship right away that will benefit both parties.
