Prior to the start of free agency, it was revealed that LeBron James informed the Los Angeles Lakers of his intentions to continue his playing career elsewhere next season, ending his tenure with the franchise after eight seasons. Now, the Lakers will turn the page and begin building this team around superstar guard Luka Doncic.
But Doncic and James were able to develop a close friendship during their time together with the Lakers. Doncic took to social media to thank James, calling it a pleasure to play with, and learn from, the all-time great:
Luka Doncic with a message for LeBron James: pic.twitter.com/wwGIYk41yI
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) June 30, 2026
This message shows the respect and admiration Doncic has for James, and that feeling is mutual. Both have regularly gone out of their way to praise the other since Doncic was acquired and even with James now moving on, there are no personal issues between the two stars, via Dan Woike of The Athletic:
There might be an instinct here to think that Luka Doncic helped push LeBron James out the door, but league sources who know both, who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation, insist the two players had no personal issues with one another.
James, after all, went to the Lakers, and said Doncic should have his name introduced last in the starting lineups. And this summer, LeBron and Luka shared text messages about golf, a hobby they’ve both picked up in the past year.
Ultimately, it was simply time for James to move on into the next stage of his career, away from the Lakers and the franchise is ready to fully build around Doncic. But there was never any sort of rivalry or issues between the two superstars, rather there was a legit friendship that continues on as the two have been in contact this offseason mostly about non-basketball things.
Their time together on the Lakers allowed James and Doncic to grow closer and that will continue even as the duo are no longer teammates.
Warriors, Cavaliers expected to pursue LeBron James
Where James lands in free agency is unclear, but there are already a pair of teams expected to pursue him. The Golden State Warriors have long been a team linked to James, as are the Cleveland Cavaliers, which would be one last return to his hometown team where his career began.
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