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For whatever reason, the stars always seem to align for the Los Angeles Lakers. Speaking of stars, the Purple and Gold's trade for Luka Doncic on Sunday morning gives them one of the NBA's best players for at least a year and a half.
The five-time All-NBA First-Teamer also has a player option for 2026-27 if he doesn't sign an extension before then. Regardless, LeBron James' newest partner-in-crime has plenty of time to make an impression in Tinseltown.
Here are three facts about Doncic that Lakers fans will enjoy:
Jason Kidd likened Luka Doncic to LeBron James, Michael Jordan
Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said last season that Doncic reminds him of the greatest players ever, via Dallas radio station 97.1 The Freak's “The Downbeat.”
“I've said this before, and I'll say this for as long as I'm here, you can't take this young man for granted,” the 10-time All-Star said. “He's better than Dirk [Nowitzki], he's in the atmosphere of MJ, the best to ever do it. LeBron [James], Kobe [Bryant], and so just to appreciate what this young man is doing at the age of 24 is something that Dallas has never seen.”
Nowitzki was the Mavericks' GOAT before Doncic, but Kidd emphasized that the latter star is already better.
“And I've said this internally, he is better than Dirk,” he continued. “He does things that Dirk could never do. And now is the opportunity of getting the right people around him to ultimately win a championship.”
While Doncic never brought Dallas a championship like Nowitzki did, he already has one more All-NBA First-Team selection and scoring title. The 25-year-old won that title last season, and Nowitzki never got one.
However, the Mavericks still dealt him for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick in what might be the most unexplainable trade ever. Kidd's blood must be boiling.
Former Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle said the same thing
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In case Kidd's opinion isn't enough, here's what his predecessor said after Doncic's game-winner in the Mavericks' 110-107 win over the Boston Celtics on Feb. 24, 2021, via Sports Illustrated's Tomer Barazani.
“He’s just a very unique player; a very unique person,” Carlisle said. “The wiring of Luka Doncic, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, guys that have this laser-like focus in these situations, it’s difficult to explain how their mind and their brain works.”
Carlisle's description of Doncic's mindset should also excite Lakers fans.
“As the game gets tighter and the moment gets bigger, [Doncic’s] focus is only on one thing: And that is succeeding with whatever the team needs… He's a very rare breed of player,” he continued. “Not only does he have the laser-like focus, but he has the desire and he has all the tools to deliver.”
LeBron James is Luka Doncic's idol
Like many hoopers, Doncic grew up idolizing James, which he admitted in 2018, via ESPN. Unlike most of them, though, the 25-year-old will actually get to play with the all-time great.
Additionally, James said in 2018 that he'd like to play with Doncic one day, via The Dallas Morning News. While James and Davis were still one of the NBA's better duos, James and Doncic could push Los Angeles to a different stratosphere.
Only time will tell, but it's hard to imagine a world where this marriage doesn't go well.
