Sandro Mamukelashvili said he has no intention of becoming comfortable after signing a four-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, emphasizing that he still has plenty to prove during his first season with the franchise.
Mamukelashvili spoke about his journey, role and expectations during Lakers media day on Monday, September 28, while also discussing his fit alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
“It feels great, but you know, I don’t want to, you know, it just—I think you can’t get comfortable,” Mamukelashvili said. “The moment you get comfortable in this league is the moment you’re going to find yourself declining.”
The Lakers signed Mamukelashvili to a four-year, $52 million contract during the offseason after he averaged 11.2 points and 4.9 rebounds in 80 games for the Toronto Raptors in 2025-26. He also shot 38.9% from three-point range and finished 10th in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
Despite securing long-term stability, Mamukelashvili said his approach will not change.
“Even though I signed a four-year deal, doesn’t mean like I feel like I just got to prove it every game, every practice, every year,” he said. “I just want to be the guy who doesn’t settle. I want to achieve something in my career and I want to win and I want to be a part of something great.”
Mamukelashvili described his role in Los Angeles as a versatile one, with the ability to stretch the floor, facilitate from the short roll and push the ball in transition.
“I think I’ll bring you a lot of versatility to the team,” he said. “I just want to stretch the floor out. Be a connector. Be the guy to be able to go in short rolls, make right plays, give energy to the guys, push the ball sometimes when I get in, on defense, so we can go into transition and run more.”
He also wants to provide a consistent threat from beyond the arc.
“Hopefully knock down a lot of corner threes,” Mamukelashvili said.
The 27-year-old forward-center said putting on a Lakers uniform represents a major moment in a career that began with him being selected 54th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft and signing a two-way contract with Milwaukee.
“It’s been surreal. I don’t think the words can describe how I feel really,” Mamukelashvili said. “I fought my way to this point and today putting this jersey on felt like something I only imagined and manifested in life.”
Mamukelashvili also spoke about the influence of Kobe Bryant, whose mentality helped shape his approach to basketball. He has a Bryant tattoo and said growing up in Georgia, Lakers games were among the few NBA games he could regularly watch.
“I really respected Kobe as a player, as a mentor,” Mamukelashvili said. “I always read his interviews, always watched his videos, always kind of tapped into his mentality and understanding there’s no Plan B, there was only Plan A.”
He also praised Reaves, whom he first encountered around the same time after both participated in the 2021 NBA Draft process.
“Austin is a dog. That’s what I know,” Mamukelashvili said. “He’s definitely an underdog. He came on a two-way and he has built and he has become a star player in this league.”
Mamukelashvili said Reaves’ work ethic, leadership and willingness to support teammates have stood out since joining the Lakers.
The Georgian forward-center enters the Lakers season averaging 7.0 points and 3.7 rebounds over 271 career NBA games, with his 2025-26 campaign marking his most productive season to date.
