Luka Doncic Says 'It's Unbelievable' to Play with LeBron James on Lakers After Trade
Los Angeles Lakers star guard Luka Doncic is still in awe of the fact that he gets to play alongside the legendary LeBron James.
During Sunday's episode of the Mind the Game podcast, Doncic told James and his co-host Steve Nash that even though it took time to get used to his new team after being traded from the Dallas Mavericks, he relishes the opportunity to share the floor with James in Los Angeles.
"Just being traded here to L.A., it was different. But just to play with a guy like him, it's unbelievable," Doncic said around the 2:00 mark. "I can learn so much stuff. First of all, off the court, all the things he does just to be ready for the game, and obviously on the court, everybody knows what kind of player he is."
James praised Doncic for continuing to stay true to himself and bringing his offensive expertise to the Lakers during his brief time with the team.
"He moves at his own pace, and he's never, ever been on the floor where he's allowed someone to dictate where they're gonna put him on the floor; it's always been the opposite," James said. "For us, we're all working off of that, we just gotta stay ready."
The Lakers' acquisition of Doncic marked one of the most shocking trades in NBA history. The 26-year-old was understandably emotional after being shipped away from the Mavs and admitted that he previously expected to spend his entire career with the franchise, but he eventually found his footing with his new team.
In 28 games in Los Angeles, Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.6 steals. He helped propel the Lakers to a third-place finish in the Western Conference at 50-32, though the team fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs in five games.
Doncic is now in a position to be the heir to James' throne once the 40-year-old ends his legendary career. They will certainly be hoping to be even better as a duo next season as they try to bring an NBA championship back to Los Angeles.
