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The Luka Doncic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers in February stunned the NBA world, and even more so, it stunned Luka himself.
Team owner Jeanie Buss now says the superstar’s reaction was unlike anything she has ever seen.
“Nobody knew the trade was going to happen,” Buss told Radio 1 during a stop on her EuroBasket trip to watch Doncic play for Slovenia in the 2025 summer competition. “I knew, but he didn’t know. I’ve never had a player come to the Lakers and be as sad as he was, because the trade was such a huge surprise to him.”
Buss explained that the 26-year-old needed time to come to terms with leaving Dallas, the only NBA home he had known (not to mention his only home in the USA after being drafted / traded there in 2018).
“He is a real person, and he had to process what happened,” Buss said. “[However,] I think now he’s embraced the Lakers – and he’s all about L.A.”
Buss also pointed to a deeper connection between Doncic and the Lakers, one tied to the late Kobe Bryant.
“The last time I saw Kobe Bryant alive, he brought his daughter Gianna to the Lakers game to see Luka play, because Luka was Gianna’s favorite player,” Buss said. “So they have always been connected in some way, and I knew that if the opportunity to have somebody like Luka on the Lakers, then it would all work out.”
The deal that brought Doncic to Los Angeles has been described as one of the most shocking in league history.
While critics in Dallas pointed to questions about Doncic’s conditioning and long-term durability, the Lakers have worked hard this offseason to highlight his rejuvenated form. EuroBasket, where Doncic is once again leading Slovenia, provides the perfect stage to showcase that.
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