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The Los Angeles Lakers have Luka Doncic and LeBron James, two of the biggest stars in the NBA, on their roster, and both players seem to really be enjoying it.
Although their first postseason together ended in disaster, with a five-game series loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and James' camp has reportedly expressed discontent with the purported preferential treatment of Doncic, the perennial All-NBA selections appear relatively content with being each other's teammates.
Doncic, who recently returned to the United States to take part in a promotional tour for Jordan Brand, said as much when providing guest commentary for the YES Network's broadcast of a New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays game.
“It was an amazing experience,” Doncic said of playing with James. “I always looked up to him, the way he approaches the game, his professionalism. So, when I came [to the Lakers last season], he accepted me with open arms, and it was just amazing to be his teammate.”
"It was an amazing experience. I always looked up to him, the way he approaches the game, his professionalism. So, when I came [to the Lakers last season], he accepted me with open arms."
Luka Doncic on playing with LeBron James 🗣️pic.twitter.com/3V8b4pGBGg
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 29, 2025
The players have long said they admire each other; Doncic said that James was one of his favorite NBA players growing up, and James has praised Doncic on numerous occasions and said years ago that if he could pick one player to start his own shoe brand under Nike, a la Jordan, it would be Doncic.
While that never materialized, the two became teammates suddenly in February, when Doncic was traded by the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers primarily in exchange for Anthony Davis, a close friend of James and a fellow client of Rich Paul, James' longtime agent and friend who runs Klutch Sports. Whatever shock or hard feelings there may have been were quickly pushed to the side as the Lakers found a groove and steadily climbed up the Western Conference standings.
By the end of the regular season, Doncic and James, despite some injuries along the way, had proved to be an effective duo en route to the third seed in the West. However, the team's lack of depth, particularly in the middle following Davis's departure and the nixed trade for Mark Williams, was too much to overcome against Minnesota.
Doncic, James, and L.A. hope to have an even better season in 2025-26, the first in which the two superstars will begin the year on the same team. It will also be the second season for J.J. Redick, coincidentally a former teammate of Doncic who had never held a professional or collegiate coaching job before he was hired last offseason.
