The Los Angeles Lakers‘ newest additions already have a history with franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic. Just a few months ago, Ziaire Williams and Doncic exchanged shoves and technical fouls during a heated regular-season game.
Now they’ll be sharing the same locker room after the Lakers signed Williams to a one-year, $3 million contract. The incident took place in March when the Lakers hosted the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena.
Williams, who was tasked with guarding Doncic for much of the night, got into a physical exchange with the Slovenian superstar during the third quarter. After Doncic gave him a shove, Williams swung back his arm and caught Luka in the neck.
Ziaire Williams smacked Luka in the neck and now they’re teammates 😠pic.twitter.com/tMnRAhWwG3
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) July 13, 2026
Players and officials rushed in to separate the two men before the altercation escalated further. Both players were assessed technical fouls.
That was Doncic’s 16th technical foul of the season, which put him on course for an automatic one-game suspension. But the Lakers appealed one of the previous technical fouls, and Doncic avoided missing any games.
If Williams thought this confrontation had any effect on Doncic, that was not the case.
The Lakers superstar finished that night with 41 points, eight rebounds, and three assists while shooting 15-25 from the field and 5-10 from three-point range as the Lakers crushed the Nets 116-99.
It was Luka’s 15th 40-point game of the season and a reminder of how dangerous he becomes after confrontations during games. Williams had a decent night himself. The athletic forward finished with 16 points, two rebounds, and two assists while shooting 6-14 from the field and 1-4 from three-point range.
Perhaps that performance served as an audition. Fast forward a few months, and the Lakers have decided to bring Williams in as part of their roster reconstruction around Luka.
The 24-year-old is coming off the best offensive season of his career with the Nets. Williams averaged 10.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks while shooting 42.5% from the field and 34.3% from three-point range across 22.9 minutes per game.
Those numbers aren’t eye-popping, but they represent growth for a player who shows promise to become one of the league’s best young wings.
Williams fills a crucial need for the Lakers. Following LeBron James‘ departure, the Lakers have focused on surrounding Doncic with younger, athletic role players instead of ball-dominant stars. Along with Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, and Sandro Mamukelashvili, Williams is another versatile defender who can guard multiple positions around the floor.
The Lakers are still hoping they can add Jonathan Kuminga, who is reportedly waiting on LeBron to make a decision about his next team. But adding Williams has been a solid addition to improve the Lakers’ wing depth.
Any tension from that March confrontation is unlikely to carry over.
NBA history is filled with former rivals becoming teammates. Heated moments during games are often forgotten once players share a common goal.
For the Lakers, this signing represents another low-risk move with significant upside. Williams is only 24 years old and has plenty of room to develop. On a minimum contract, there is little risk, as he continues progressing under Luka’s leadership.
