Lakers' Luka Doncic Says It 'Means A Lot' to Get EuroBasket Visit from Pelinka, Buss

The Los Angeles Lakers are supporting their star even when he's not playing in the NBA.

Luka Dončić got a visit from Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and CEO Jeanie Buss while playing for Slovenia in EuroBasket, and he expressed his appreciation for that visit on Wednesday.

"It means a lot," he told reporters. "It's a long flight, 11 or 12 hours, so it means a lot for them just to be here, to support me. We had a good lunch today, so it was great to see them."

Dončić will spend the next few weeks competing for his home country, Slovenia, as they take on teams from Europe in group play before getting into bracket play. A handful of NBA players will compete in the event, including Nikola Jokić, who put up 11 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for Serbia in a win over Estonia on Wednesday.

After EuroBasket, Dončić will enter the homestretch of the offseason as he prepares for his first full season as a member of the Lakers.

Dončić, 26, is coming off another outstanding season, putting up 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game. After being traded from the Dallas Mavericks to Los Angeles, he helped the Lakers finish the year strong and reach the playoffs, where they came up short against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round.

Earlier this month, the Lakers awarded Dončić with a three-year, $165 million maximum contract extension, committing to the young star as the face of their franchise moving forward.

With that big contract comes big expectations, so competing for a championship is the expectation for Los Angeles this year.

The Lakers made a few moves this offseason, namely getting some help in the paint with the addition of Deandre Ayton, and Dončić and his co-star, LeBron James, should have enough to keep the team competitive in the West.