Luka Doncic called it “a lot of honor” to be mentioned with Kobe Bryant after scoring 40 points in his 100th game with the Los Angeles Lakers, a 116-103 win over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.
Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins said this week that Doncic has the mentality closest to Bryant’s among the league’s young stars.
“I think we all know who Kobe was, you know, what he meant to everybody, especially basketball-wise,” Doncic said. “He was an idol for a lot of people.” He added that it “means a lot” to be mentioned “next to his name.”
Doncic is off to a historic start. He has scored at least 35 in six straight games and has 308 points in eight games, the first player to top 300 through his first eight games of a season since Michael Jordan in 1988-89.
JJ Redick said Doncic’s hottest stretch as a Laker was last March, which included a 60-point game at Miami. Asked to compare the current run, Doncic did not rule it out as his best.
“I had some good stretches in my career, but, you know, obviously, you know, this could be one of the highest ones,” Doncic said. “But, you know, there’s still some work to do.”
Doncic also took the blame for a slow start. Sacramento scored 16 points before Redick called an early timeout, and the teams were tied 28-28 after the first quarter.
“That was on me. I came out a little sloppy. I take responsibility for that,” Doncic said. “I know that my first quarter wasn’t good.”
“So I just came back in the game trying to be more aggressive, be more focused,” he said.
He finished 11 of 23 from the field, made six 3-pointers and went 12 of 13 at the free-throw line, with nine rebounds and seven assists.
Doncic also weighed in on Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr., the No. 7 pick in the 2026 draft. Acuff led Sacramento with 22 points and 12 assists but shot 8 of 24.
Asked how much freedom he had as a young player, Doncic said he “didn’t have that much freedom” at the beginning and “had to earn my way up.”
“Obviously, everybody sees that he can score, and he can really score,” Doncic said of Acuff. “But, you know, it’s a rookie. It’s a work in progress.”
“There’s a lot to a game,” he added.
The Lakers improved to 7-2, while the Kings fell to 1-7.
Los Angeles hosts Portland in an NBA Cup game Friday at 10 p.m. ET on Prime Video. The Trail Blazers beat the Lakers 136-129 on Oct. 27 despite 41 points from Doncic.
