Lakers Luka Doncic Just Made a Massive Personal Announcement This Offseason

The Los Angeles Lakers had a rough end to their season. They lost Luka Doncic to a Grade 2 hamstring strain late in the regular season, and without him, the team got swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs.

Doncic himself said he was never close to returning. He traveled to Europe to seek specialized treatment for the injury, and while he was there, something else was clearly in the works too.

According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, Doncic has joined an ownership group that purchased Vanoli Cremona, a professional basketball club in Italy's top league, Lega Basket Serie A. The group is led by former Dallas Mavericks executive Donnie Nelson as the managing partner.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic — Luka Doncic | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

This is not a random pairing. Nelson was the man who engineered the trade to bring Doncic to Dallas on draft night in 2018, and the two have stayed close ever since. Doncic spent his teenage years at Real Madrid before entering the NBA at 19, so he knows the European game from the inside.

He did not hide his excitement about this one.

"I have dreamed about owning a team in Europe for a long time, to finally have this happen is amazing. Vanoli has a great history, and we are ready to take it to the next level in Rome. We have an amazing group of partners, and I really believe we can do something special for basketball in Italy and Europe."

The club is moving from the northern Italian town of Cremona to Rome ahead of the 2026-27 season. Rome has not had a top-flight basketball team since Virtus Roma folded in 2020, leaving a serious gap in one of the biggest cities in the world.

Luka Doncic and Donnie Nelson Eye NBA Europe Franchise in Rome

There is a larger goal at play here. The NBA and FIBA are building a new European league, NBA Europe, targeting a launch as early as fall 2027. Doncic's group has already submitted a bid for Rome to be one of the founding cities, with franchise bids reportedly reaching up to $1 billion.

Nelson was straightforward about where things stand. "I think that we're optimistic and hopeful that the NBA relationship happens. If it doesn't happen for whatever reason, we're still excited about moving forward with the Roman opportunity."

At 27 and still playing at an All-NBA level, Doncic is already building something well beyond his playing career. Rome gets its basketball back, and Doncic gets a seat at the table for what could be the sport's next big frontier.

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