Luka Doncic Signs Huge Maximum Contract Extension With Lakers

Doncic will be staying in Los Angeles for a while yet.
Luka Doncic signed a max contract extension with the Lakers that will keep him in L.A. for the foreseeable future.
Luka Doncic signed a max contract extension with the Lakers that will keep him in L.A. for the foreseeable future. / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
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Luka Doncic signed a maximum contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers worth $165 million over three years with a player option in 2028, ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Saturday.

Doncic, 26, was shockingly traded to the Lakers in the middle of the last NBA season. His first half-season in purple and gold alongside LeBron James went reasonably well, as Doncic helped the Lakers make the playoffs; they were eliminated in the first round in five games by the Minnesota Timberwolves. For the 2024-25 season, Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game.

Doncic still had one remaining year left on his old max deal and could have waited until next summer to sign an even more lucrative contract as an unrestricted free agent. But it seems he wanted to show his commitment to Los Angeles as early as possible. Doncic's extension ties him to the Lakers until 2028— at which point he will be 29 years old and eligible for another max deal worth nearly $500 million, as noted by Charania.

The Lakers' future is secure. Doncic will be the face of the franchise as James finishes out his last NBA seasons.


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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.