Marcus Smart Denies Prior Relationship With Luka Doncic Despite Lakers Superstars’ Special Recruitment

After signing Luka Doncic in February this year and bringing in Deandre Ayton and Mark Williams in the off-season, the Los Angeles Lakers have made it clear that they’re going for the chip. Now, they’ve also acquired former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, someone who was supposedly recruited by Doncic himself.

NBA insider Shams Charania revealed earlier this week that Doncic played a big role in Smart joining the Purple and Gold. While the ex-Boston Celtics man admitted that was true, he also revealed that they didn’t really share a relationship in the past.

Smart spoke about being a part of the Lakers and teaming up with Doncic in a press conference earlier today. He credited “The Don” for reaching out to him, praised him for his brilliance, and revealed what exactly the Slovenian did to bring him to the team.

“When you get a guy like Luka calling, checking on you, trying to see where you’re at, to see if you want to come join something special that he has cooking up over here, and for him to say he could really use my help, it means a lot,” said Smart, who then reminded the media that he had been on the opposing end of Doncic many times in the past. You could see him reflecting on all the times Doncic bested him on the court.

“Played against Luka a lot,” he stated. “Been on a lot of opposing ends of Luka Magic. To be able to come out and be on his side this time it means a lot.”  The duo has met 11 times in the NBA, with Luka averaging 30 PPG in those matchups. They never faced off in the playoffs, but maybe that’s because they were always destined to be postseason teammates.

Fortunately, even in those matchups, Smart believed that he and Luka always had a great rapport. “I wouldn’t say it was a relationship, but we had a mutual understanding and respect for each other. After every game playing, it was always flowers. ‘Way to go, keep going, keep those guys going,’ and vice-versa.”

Marcus Smart talks about Luka Doncic’s efforts to recruit him to L.A. He said before this summer, they didn’t have a relationship beyond mutual respect as competitors: “It was always flowers” pic.twitter.com/4k4KPi3tQu

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 22, 2025

So, how did Doncic convince Smart to come to LA if they didn’t share a relationship? Well, Smart was working out one day when he received a call from his agent, which he initially thought was a hoax. “I’m working out and I get a call from my agent saying, ‘Hey, Luka reached out.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, whatever.’ And another day, the same thing. Luka reached out again. And now it’s real. It’s no longer What-Ifs,” Smart stated.

Smart couldn’t say no. Leaving the Washington Wizards to join the Lakers, who were gearing up to contend for the ring, was a no-brainer. With the players LA has signed, and if LeBron James does stay, it is clear they are making a serious push right now.

Nabbing Smart isn’t just a win on the court. It is a statement to Lakers fans that Doncic is in it for the long haul. He wants to build a team that can bring the franchise back to its championship glory, something they haven’t seen since King James led them to a title in the Bubble. With the pieces falling into place, maybe Luka Magic will finally rain down in Los Angeles.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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