What LeBron James' Lakers decision means for Luka Doncic
· Yahoo Sports
What LeBron James' Lakers decision means for Luka Doncic originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
It was already sort of, kind of Luka Doncic's team.
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But any team with LeBron James, even at age 41, feels a bit like it still belongs to the King.
The 2026-27 Los Angeles Lakers will no longer have that problem.
On Tuesday, reports made it clear that James isn't returning to L.A. He's going to keep playing in the NBA, but elsewhere.
Welcome to Luka Land.
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What now for Luka Doncic?
Doncic is now the entire head of the snake.
There's no more wondering whether he should defer to LeBron.
There's no more hoping LeBron saves the day.
Doncic is clearly up to the task, because he did it with the Dallas Mavericks before being traded. But now the spotlight is fully his once again.
It would certainly help for the Lakers to have Austin Reaves alongside him for the long haul, but this will never be viewed as Reaves' team. It's Doncic's team.
That's actually a really promising place to be. When Luka was the superstar for the Mavs, he led them to the NBA Finals.
The Lakers have a chance to put a better roster around Doncic, and without needing to acquiesce to James' wishes or salary any longer, they can prioritize the perfect fits of shooters and rim-runners around Doncic.
The biggest key for Luka, now more than ever, is staying healthy. There's no LeBron around to put the team on his back and win games with Doncic on the sideline.
But if Doncic can stay on the court, he can lead the Lakers to great things. He's always been capable of that, and now is his chance to shine as bright as ever.