That doesn't even look like him
And the NYT would find this attitude racist and toxic, so there
PS: Great job Luka, if you played for Jim Calhoun or Dan Hurley, it would never have taken this long
Luka Dončić agrees to 3-year, $165 million max extension with Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers view Luka Dončić as the future of the franchise. The team inked the 26-year-old to a three-year, $165 million max extension Saturday.Per ESPN's Shams Charania, Dončić's deal features a player option in 2028, and he is now eligible for a projected five years and $417 million in 2028.
The move doesn't come as a major surprise. Since he debuted with the Dallas Mavericks during the 2018-19 NBA season, Dončić has performed like one of the best players in the NBA. He won the Rookie of the Year Award that season, is a five-time All-Star and has five MVP finishes in the top eight.
It was always expected the Lakers would sign Dončić to a long-term deal after the team traded Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick to Dallas in February in exchange for Dončić. You don't acquire a player of Dončić's caliber and allow him to walk after just a year and a half.
Prior to the extension, Dončić was set to enter what could have been the final year of his contract. He held a $48 million player option for the 2026-27 NBA season that he almost certainly would have declined in favor of receiving a massive deal on the free-agent market.
The Lakers were never going to let Dončić get to that point, which is why a max extension was always assumed. The bigger question surrounding Dončić's next contract was its length.
With Dončić signed, the Lakers now have their future secured. Dončić melded with the team well after being acquired in February. In 28 games in Los Angeles, Dončić averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists, essentially the same numbers he averaged with the Mavericks.
Following the Lakers' postseason elimination, head coach JJ Redick challenged the team to get in "championship shape," which many perceived as a challenge aimed at Dončić, whose conditioning has been questioned during his career. By all accounts, Dončić heard that message and he dropped "significant weight" ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season as he showed on the cover of Men's Health magazine.
Dončić adopted a gluten-free, low-sugar diet, taken part in intermittent fasting and engaged in two-a-day workouts while training in Croatia, he told the magazine. Following the Lakers' early playoff exit to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dončić wanted to get to work immediately.
With LeBron James back, and Dončić possibly in the best shape of his career, the Lakers will enter the year with championship aspirations. While James' future with the franchise remains a question — he's 40 and only under contract for one more season — Dončić is talented enough to make the team a perennial contender after James leaves or retires.
That was always the plan when the team pulled off its shocking trade for Dončić in February. Following Saturday's extension, it's now the team's reality.
Luka Dončić notches 4th triple-double in EuroBasket history, leading Slovenia to win over Belgium.
Luka Dončić became the fourth player to record a triple-double in FIBA EuroBasket history, tallying 26 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in Slovenia's 86-69 win over Belgium in the international tournament on Sunday.Dončić's performance was especially urgent for Slovenia, which faced being eliminated from the tournament after losing its first two games, including Saturday's 103-95 defeat to France. That loss occurred despite Dončić scoring 39 points and nearly notching a triple-double with eight rebounds and eight assists.
However, France has four NBA players on its roster in Zacchaire Risacher, Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly and Guerschon Yabusele, while Dončić is the only NBA star on Slovenia's roster.
Slovenia winning its next three games was required to emerge from group play. Sunday's win began that upward climb. In three games, Dončić is averaging 33 points, 7.3 rebounds, 9.7 assists and 3.3 steals.
Dončić playing in the 2025 EuroBasket tournament raised some eyebrows after he signed a three-year, $155 million extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, officially cutting the ribbon on being the present and future star of the team, as LeBron James' prospects past this season are uncertain.
Those concerns heightened after Dončić appeared to injure his knee when his leg collided with a teammate's during a EuroBasket exhibition. He briefly left the game but soon returned and was kept from playing more by the Slovenia medical staff.
Despite avoiding serious injury, that scare stoked fears that the Lakers' new investment would be lost playing overseas. Yet Lakers team governor Jeanie Buss and president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka traveled to Poland to watch Dončić, indicating the franchise fully supported his desire to represent his country in international play.
Playing competitively this summer to maintain his conditioning and keep his skills sharp is likely a factor in why the Lakers are fine with Dončić playing in EuroBasket. His physical shape has been the story of his — and the Lakers' — offseason. In addition to workouts, the seven-year veteran changed his diet to eliminate gluten and lessen sugar intake, according to Men's Health.
His weight and ability to stay on the floor to provide even a slight defensive presence, especially late in the season and during the playoffs, were the target of scrutiny and criticism throughout his career with the Dallas Mavericks. The team's concern about that was presumably a reason he was traded to the Lakers in a deal that is still shocking seven months later.
Up next for Dončić and Slovenia is a matchup with Iceland on Tuesday at 8 a.m. ET.
Nah shine boy I don't crush on dudes
