Luka Doncic has talked about how difficult it was for him to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers as he expected to play for the Dallas Mavericks for his entire career. But one thing that has helped him acclimate and embrace being a member of the Lakers has been the unwavering support he has gotten from the entire organization from day one.
From team Governor Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka to head coach JJ Redick, his teammates and the fans, everyone has made Doncic feel loved and appreciated as a member of the Lakers. And this was on full display during FIBA EuroBasket 2025 when he led his country of Slovenia to the quarterfinals of the international tournament.
Buss and Pelinka as well as other members of the Lakers staff traveled overseas to support Doncic and the superstar guard truly appreciated the love he got from them as well as the fans during EuroBasket, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“The support from the Lakers organization and Laker Nation [was] amazing,” he said. “It meant so much to me that Rob, Jeanie, Kurt, Linda and Dr. Sims came to Poland and that Lakers fans were watching EuroBasket and cheering for Slovenia.”
The Lakers have always prided themselves as an organization on how they treat their stars and things like this really matter. At a time where many question if NBA players should participate in these tournaments, the Lakers not only supported Doncic, but even showed up to watch him and those actions mean a lot.
It was tough for Luka to leave Dallas, but he is experiencing why the Lakers are a truly special organization. He is the face of this franchise and they are going above and beyond to make sure he knows how much he is appreciated. And with how things ended in Dallas and the negative things that were said about him after he was traded, this love and support means that much more.
Rob Pelinka & Lakers didn’t mind Luka Doncic playing in EuroBasket
Luka Doncic is extremely grateful for the Lakers supporting him during FIBA EuroBasket 2025 and as far as the organization is concerned the decision to support him was an easy one. General manager Rob Pelinka spoke about why the franchise had no problems with Doncic representing his country at EuroBasket and the positives that he believes came along with it, especially considering how well he played.
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