Over a year after his emotional trade from the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic believes he is finally in a great place.
Doncic’s surprising trade sent shockwaves throughout the NBA as it rapidly changed the Lakers’ fortunes, giving the purple and gold the perfect successor to LeBron James.
On the basketball court, there’s nothing Luka can’t do as he can score and pass on any defense. Off the court, however, the 26-year-old’s portfolio and brand continues to grow as he dives into new partnerships and ventures.
It seems Doncic has professional sports team owner on his list of things to check off as he’s reportedly part of an investor group that is set to purchase an Italian basketball team, via Joe Vardon, Sam Amick and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic:
Lakers star Luka Doncic is part of an investor group headed by former Dallas Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson that is seeking to bring a team to Rome as part of NBA Europe, three sources told The Athletic.
Nelson, 63, the son of legendary former NBA coach and executive Don Nelson, has a preliminary agreement in place to purchase an existing basketball team from northern Italy, Vanoli Basket Cremona, to potentially set up a much larger play of entering a team into NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s new European league.
Doncic, 26, whom Nelson acquired in a draft-night trade with the Atlanta Hawks 2018, is part of his group of investors, sources in American and European basketball with knowledge of Nelson’s plans told The Athletic. While the Milan-based sports publication La Gazzetta Dello Sport reported that Dirk Nowitzki was also a part of Nelson’s group, his spokesman, Scott Tomlin, said that was not the case. According to one of the sources, Rimas Kaukenas, a Lithuanian legend as a player who was a longtime star in Italy, is also part of the group.
Doncic was born in Slovenia, so his interest in potentially owning a team in NBA Europe makes complete sense. The game of basketball continues to grow internationally and this move signals that the league is about to become even more global.
JJ Redick reflects on Luka Doncic trade one year later
Lakers head coach JJ Redick has to feel blessed that he gets to coach someone like Luka Doncic. The Doncic trade was so shocking that Redick remembered exactly what he was doing when he found out and later reflected on what it was like to hold onto that news.
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