When Luka Dončić was suddenly traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers, the 26-year-old had to make just as many adjustments off the court as he did on it. For over six years, Luka knew the state of Texas as home – certainly not a sparsely populated area, but definitely roomier than the cramped streets of LA. When the five-time All-Star first arrived with the Lakers, he quickly realized what he liked and disliked about the area.
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While making a guest appearance on Mind the Game, the superstar guard was asked about the adjustment period following the trade. Steve Nash pointed out that Los Angeles has a higher population than Dončić’s home country of Slovenia, which truly puts in perspective just how many people reside on the West Coast.
Luka shared that it wasn’t a huge cultural adjustment for him, especially considering how long he had been in the United States. Dallas is certainly different from LA, but the Hollywood fanfare didn’t move him much. Instead, it was the seaside view that excited Luka the most.
“Well, first of all, this is the first city I’ve played in that has an ocean, and I really like the ocean,” the Slovenian said. “I mean, after a couple of days, that was the first thing on my mind, you know?” Dončić stated that he likes his new home, but there is one standout downside. “The only thing is the traffic.”
After hooping in front of raving crowds for nearly a decade, often filled with high-profile people, the celebrities that pile into Crypto.com Arena didn’t stick out as special to Dončić. “Every time there’s famous people, you know, watching our game, sitting courtside. That’s amazing. But no, [it’s not an adjustment], not that much,”
LeBron interjected, sharing that Luka’s first response about how he was acclimating to LA centered around how much he loved the beach. The superstar guard has also liked to spend his time driving around his new home. When Nash asked if he had ever gone outside the city limits, though, Dončić asked for clarification.
“What’s cool about LA, we think about LA as a big city but within an hour and a half, two hours, you go Santa Barbara, San Diego. You could go to the mountains, Orange County, you go all over the place,” the two-time MVP explained. “Malibu, there’s a million places to go within two hours, right? … So, you like to drive…”
Despite the majority of California’s major landmarks being only a couple hours away from LA, Dončić shared he hasn’t ventured to most of those places quite yet. “The first place I would try is Santa Barbara because I went there when I was 17 … I went to P3. So, I really liked that,” he explained.
Still only a few months into his Lakers tenure, Luka still has plenty of places to explore in the area. With two LA veterans in LeBron and Nash to help guide him, Dončić could be a much more well-versed Angeleno.
