Key Takeaways
- Luka Dončić said he thanked LeBron James after his Lakers exit, calling their time as teammates “amazing” and saying he learned a lot from him.
- Dončić called becoming the new face of the Lakers an honor and admitted he regrets playing through a hamstring injury when the team had championship potential.
- The Lakers will open the 2026–27 season against the Warriors on Oct. 21, while James begins his 76ers run against the Knicks one day earlier.
Luka Doncic was already one of the faces of the Los Angeles Lakers, but now, he's become an even more important piece of the franchise following LeBron James leaving the team.
For eight seasons, James was a large piece of the Lakers' brand and name, so now, Doncic has even more responsibility, and he's opening up about that newfound responsibility as well as his thoughts on James.
Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix interviewed Doncic and asked him if James reached out to him when he was leaving Los Angeles. Doncic dished that, yes, the two connected, and he explained the vibe.
"Yeah," Doncic said in the interview. He 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."
Asked about the pressure of becoming the franchise's face after James' departure, Doncic said he considers it an honor. He also expressed regret over playing through a hamstring injury last season.
"When it comes to my spirit of trying to win, I am just stubborn," he said. "I felt a little bit in the first half that I should have just stopped. I should have come out. I think we had a team that could compete for the championship. I definitely regret it."
The Los Angeles Lakers play their 2026-27 regular-season opener with a rivalry showdown against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Crypto.com Arena. It'll mark their first regular-season game without James on the roster.
James, of course, announced that he and the Lakers were parting ways during the offseason. He’s now with the Philadelphia 76ers, and their first game of the season is on Tuesday, Oct. 20, going up against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
