The city of Los Angeles wasn’t big enough for both LeBron James and Luka Dončić in the end.
Less than two seasons after the blockbuster Dončić trade that blew up the NBA landscape, James is taking his talents to Philadelphia to close out his NBA career while the Slovenian is primed to become the franchise’s sole superstar and fearless leader in 2026—and it looks like he’s ready for the opportunity.
Following news of James’s signing with the 76ers in free agency, Dončić has wasted no time solidifying his place at the top of the hierarchy. The Lakers guard is set to host L.A.’s new-look roster in Slovenia for a four-day minicamp in August, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Among the items on the itinerary are team workouts, golf as well as tourism and sight-seeing in Ljubljana (the Slovenian capital where Dončić was born).
The minicamp will take place before Lakers’ training camp, which will be held later in the summer before the team’s preseason opener against the Kings on Oct. 5.
Luka Doncic is hosting the entire Los Angeles Lakers roster in Slovenia for a four-day minicamp in August, a source close to the Lakers told ESPN. The itinerary will include workouts, golf and some Ljubljana tourism and bonding ahead of training camp.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 29, 2026
Hosting the Slovenia trip marks Dončić’s first publicly known move as the true face of the organization following James’s announced exit in late June. And given all the hullabaloo over James’s bombshell free agent decision, it couldn’t have come at a better time.
The Lakers’ flurry of offseason moves saw the franchise experience a heavy amount of turnover following their unceremonious postseason exit at the hands of the Thunder (a 4–0 series loss), acquiring the likes of Walker Kessler, Jaden Hardy, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Kevon Looney, Matisse Thybulle and others.
Returning players such as Austin Reaves, who is staying in L.A. on a massive four-year, $185 million contract, will likely no doubt do their part to welcome in the summer additions during this shaky period of transition and uncertainty. Even so, Dončić’s active willingness to take on a big leadership role ahead of the upcoming season bodes well for the Lakers’ chemistry and team unity at a time when they need it most.
Looking back on LeBron James’s relationship with Luka Dončić, eventual break-up with Lakers
Back when the Mavericks stunningly shipped out Dončić to the Lakers in February 2025, James was one of the first to make space for the organization’s next big thing. During Dončić’s first game as a Laker, James notably told him in a pregame team huddle, “Luka, be your f---ing self. Don't fit in, fit the f--- out.”
Since then, and after riding through some natural ups and downs, Dončić has settled in quite nicely in L.A. and even put together a dazzling MVP-caliber campaign last season alongside James before suffering a hamstring injury in April.
Heading into this offseason, however, the tone between James and Dončić may have ever-so-slightly shifted. James, a four-time NBA champ who helped lead L.A. to a title in 2020, was mulling over his future with the organization as he approached a pivotal crossroads in his career.
Prior to his decision to leave the Lakers, James said the “most important factor” in him potentially re-signing would be how Los Angeles’ brass approached him, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
Here’s an excerpt from Shelburne’s piece on James’s anticipated break-up with L.A.:
He might have been willing to take a pay cut from the $52.6 million he'd made the season before, sources said, if the Lakers explained how they planned to reallocate the money. They never did, and James never made himself available to meet. He had been a priority enough times in his career to know when he wasn't one.
Instead, as Shelburne suggested, the writing was on the wall. The Lakers reportedly had already started pitching to Dončić how they planned to build the roster around him by using James’s $52.6 million salary to bring on supporting role-players. Sold on those plans, the Slovenian signed a maximum contract extension worth $165 million in August 2025 and, in doing so, cemented himself as the franchise’s cornerstone piece for years to come.
While there was no formal passing of the baton between James and Dončić, the two marquee stars shared a tremendous amount of respect for one another up until the very end. When James announced his intention to leave the place he called home for eight years, Dončić shared on his social media a photo of him and James embracing on the court and wrote in the caption, “An honor to play with and learn from you.”
Indeed, it was.
More NBA From Sports Illustrated
Listen to SI’s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.
