Luka Doncic took his Los Angeles Lakers teammates — including his co-star Austin Reaves — on a multi-day minicamp to his hometown of Ljubljana, Slovenia. The trip was meant as both a team bonding exercise, as well as a chance for the leader of the team to show his teammates the part of his life that is most important to him.
Many of Doncic’s teammates got to experience Slovenia for the first time, going to some of Doncic’s favorite restaurants and seeing sights. They also held some team workouts and visited a local hospital as part of Mamba Day celebrations. There, Reaves got to see first hand just how beloved Doncic is in Slovenia and joked about it on the way out:
Austin Reaves and the Lakers recently visited kids at a hospital in Slovenia.
Reporter: “What did the kids say?”
Reaves: “They love Luka!”
Reporter: “Do they love you?”
AR: “They love Luka more, as they should. Luka’s a hero!”
(via ekipa_sn/IG) pic.twitter.com/TavTQa3dIu
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 25, 2026
Doncic is one of the game’s most beloved international superstars in an era where players from outside the United States have taken over as the game’s best players. So it’s no surprise that, in his hometown of Ljubljana, he is seen as such a hero, and his Lakers teammates aren’t met with the same reverence.
It’s great that Reaves and the Lakers got to see, though, just how beloved Doncic is in Slovenia. It shows one of the biggest reasons for Doncic’s on-court passion and where his love of the game stems from. And as teammates of Doncic, Reaves and the Lakers appear to be loved by extension.
Lakers’ Sandro Mamukelashvili impresses in Georgia win over Israel
While the Lakers were finishing up their trip in Slovenia, new forward Sandro Mamukelashvili returned to his home country of Georgia, where he is playing in FIBA World Cup qualifiers. Mamukelashvili shined for Georgia in an international friendly win over Israel, showing exactly what he might be able to bring to the Lakers.
He finished with 20 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals as Georgia got the victory. This is good stuff to see from the man who signed a four-year, $52 million deal with the Lakers this offseason, and is expected to play a major role for Doncic’s Lakers moving forward.
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