The Los Angeles Lakers made a strong effort to stand behind Luka Doncic as he represented Slovenia at EuroBasket, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
Team governor Jeanie Buss and president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka traveled to Poland to watch him compete, joined by team stakeholders Kurt and Linda Rambis, several staff members, and assistant coach Greg St. Jean, who served as part of Slovenia’s coaching staff.
“Luka has a tremendous amount of heartfelt pride and appreciation for his roots and playing for his country,” Pelinka said.
“I just think in the partnerships we have with our players, the Lakers want to be mindful of players’ passions and who they are as men and then lean in and support those things. So, around Luka, it was a very easy partnership decision that we wanted to support.”
While Slovenia ultimately fell short of the podium, Doncic’s individual play was historic. He averaged 34.7 points per game, the most in EuroBasket since 1989, and lifted that to 40.5 points in the knockout stages.
According to McMenamin, Lakers sources came away impressed with how Doncic looked physically, particularly after his offseason conditioning program. He was reportedly jumping higher, splitting double-teams more effectively, and showing more activity on defense.
“Players playing basketball in the offseason is something that, from a leadership standpoint, I support,” Pelinka explained.
“I think you could say in some sense that some of the offseason and sort of the current basketball lens, especially in the States, is on individual work. And I think that sort of the team environment can get lost.”
ICYMI: The Lakers provided a huge show of support for Luka Doncic as he represented Slovenia at EuroBasket. That + more notes from Los Angeles. https://t.co/Hcxmu01CF2
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) September 21, 2025
