Don’t worry, Los Angeles Lakers fans, Luka Doncic isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. His recent three-year $165 million contract extension shows the commitment he has to representing the purple and gold. Although his mind and heart remain in the moment, he would be remiss to not think about his future beyond the NBA. While he remains unable to predict everything that might happen, Doncic knows one thing is for certain.
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Doncic learned the hard way that not everything goes as planned in the NBA. If it were up to the Slovenian star, his entire career would’ve been with the Dallas Mavericks. Of course, neither Doncic nor the rest of the basketball world could have predicted that the team would part ways with the face of their franchise.
After that learning curve, Doncic has become incredibly particular with his decisions. It explains why he didn’t blindly re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers. He took his time before finalizing a long-term commitment. The two parties are on the same page, and that is to compete at the highest level.
“If everything goes to plan, Doncic is not going anywhere until he’s won Laker titles and written league history of his own. There are the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, which will be tempting, but he’s focused on the present,” Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal said.
The end of the 2024-25 NBA season didn’t go the way Doncic or the Lakers had hoped. Despite having hopes of a deep postseason push, the Minnesota Timberwolves convincingly defeated them in the first round. Doncic doesn’t want a repeat of that outcome. As a result, he has transformed his body to be in optimal shape for the season.
As long as Doncic has LeBron James as a teammate, the Lakers will have a fighting chance, even if the veteran is 41 years old. That said, LeBron’s incredible longevity has sparked thought within Doncic regarding retirement. He may have great praise for James’ commitment, but he isn’t from the same cloth.
“I ask Doncic if he sees himself playing basketball at age 41,” Gay said. “‘No,’ he says. ‘I don’t think so.’”
For anyone expecting to see Doncic on an NBA court for 20 years, he promptly put those hopes to bed. The five-time All-NBA member may love basketball, but he knows when to draw the line. At least fans have that piece of information to hold onto when the time for retirement comes around.
The next question people will have is whether Doncic will retire a Laker. That is certainly in the realm of possibility, but so are other things. One of those outcomes includes returning the first professional team that gave Doncic a chance; Real Madrid. Doncic is certainly open to a reunion in the future.
“For sure,” Luka said. “They raised me.”
The idea of retiring and action are two completely different things on two completely different timelines. Doncic won’t be hanging up his jersey anytime soon. But he has given more thought about his future than he may give off.
