Former Lakers Champion Sees Something Different in Luka Doncic

After a massive roster overhaul and the departure of LeBron James, the new-look Los Angeles Lakers embark on a trip overseas for a minicamp hosted by Luka Doncic, with the superstar guard fitting the bill.

Doncic hosted his new Lakers teammates in his home country of Slovenia where they shared some time on the basketball court as well as played some golf and several other activities in an effort to get to know each other and build some much-needed chemistry ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season.

Sasha Vujacic Praises Luka Doncic’s ‘Leadership’

The reigning scoring champion has received a lot of high praise for hosting the minicamp in Slovenia, with many believing it showed Doncic’s leadership, including fellow Slovenian and two-time NBA champion Sasha Vujacic.

The former Lakers guard recently made an appearance on ESPN Los Angeles, as did many current Lakers players, and talked about what he’s seen from Doncic.

“It’s been there and what Luka has been doing, he’s showing the leadership,” Vujacic said. “I’m very excited about this year. I think he’s finally a Laker, Laker. And him and AR and the team that we have, I can’t wait to watch it and for him to bring the team to Slovenia to show them where he comes from, to show everybody what Slovenia is all about. I think they have a better understanding of what it means for him to be in L.A. and through his journey how important it is to win. So, that’s always great to see.”

Doncic definitely made an impression on his new Lakers teammates, with many singing his praises following the trip, including Collin Sexton and Kevon Looney.

Lakers Media Day Date is Set

The next time the new-look Lakers will get together as a team will be during Lakers media day later this month. The date for the annual event has officially been set for Sept. 28, with training camp set to get underway a day later.

Inching closer to the start of the 2026-27 NBA season next month (Oct. 21 for LA), the Lakers will have their media day on Sept. 28 before getting training camp underway the following day, leading up to the first game of their NBA preseason on Oct. 5 against the Sacramento Kings…
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) September 3, 2026

The first preseason game for the Lakers will take place on Oct. 5, with Doncic and company traveling up north to face the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center.

Los Angeles will play five preseason games before the start of the 2026-27 campaign (Oct. 21). They’ll face the Kings (twice), Golden State Warriors (twice) and the Denver Nuggets.

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