Luka Doncic Hyped as Universe's Best Young Player By Lakers' Pelinka After Contract
Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka was effusive with praise for Luka Dončić after the five-time All-Star signed a three-year, $165 million contract extension with the club on Saturday.
During a press conference to discuss the deal (starts at 19:10 mark), Pelinka hyped up Dončić as the "best young basketball player in the universe" committing to the best franchise on the planet.
Saturday marked the first day Dončić was eligible to sign an extension. Despite some talk in the immediate aftermath of the trade with the Dallas Mavericks that sent him to Los Angeles about his future, Dončić said at the press conference he knew "pretty quick" after the deal went down he was going to extend with the Lakers.
There are no shortage of great young players in the NBA right now, including Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards, Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Tyrese Haliburton.
That list doesn't even include incoming rookies like Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper since we have to see them play in actual games before evaluating how impactful they are going to be, but this era right now features arguably the deepest collection of young talent the NBA has ever had.
Even though it can be debated if 26 still technically qualifies as young by basketball standards, especially for someone who has been playing professionally since 2015 if you go back to his time with Real Madrid in EuroLeague, there's no denying Dončić is one of the most impactful players in the world.
Since entering the NBA as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft, Dončić's teams have made the playoffs five times. He led the Mavs to the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals in a three-year span from 2021-22 to 2023-24.
Dončić is one of only three players in NBA history with five All-NBA first-team selections prior to the age of 26. He is also one of four players with five All-NBA first-team selections in their first six seasons.
The Slovenian superstar also has the third-highest combined points, rebounds and assists average ever (45.5). He is only behind Wilt Chamberlain (57.4) and Bob Pettit (45.6).
Los Angeles' acquisition of Dončić completely changed the long-term outlook for the franchise because it was unclear what the plan was going to be whenever LeBron James decides to leave or retire.
Pelinka hyping up Dončić after the five-time All-Star signed a contract extension is because they have solved the hardest question every team faces about finding a go-to superstar.
Dončić will be with the Lakers for at least the next three seasons to give them some runway to build around him as they pursue a championship.
