The Los Angeles Lakers just heard it straight from LeBron James after another winning night. The Lakers beat the New Orleans Pelicans 111–103, and LeBron and Luka Doncic then closed the game and showed sharper chemistry with every trip down the floor. This is LeBron’s team in history, yet he still made the message simple. The future points to Luka Doncic, and, ultimately, he embraced it.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have surged to 23–11 and No. 3 in the West. The team is missing starters, yet it still keeps stacking wins because the stars control pace. LeBron scored 30. Doncic scored 30. Together, they bent the game late and took it away. Under the arena lights, the hierarchy felt clear and comfortable.
Moreover, the Lakers veteran delivered it without hesitation. “Luka don’t need to bend his game for me,” he said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Luka is our franchise for this ballclub. He don’t need to bend his game. It’s up to us to bend our game around him and figure it out.” He then explained the Lakers' job around Doncic. “We just try to be dynamic and work off of him. We know he is an unbelievable pick-and-roll player, unbelievable shotmaker. He commands the defense. He has four eyes, sometimes six eyes on him.” That is respect. That is leadership.
The star partnership takes shape for the Lakers
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The numbers, meanwhile, echo the eye test. Luka Doncic leads the league at 33.5 points per game. In turn, LeBron averages 21.7 points on 51.2% shooting and keeps attacking fourth quarters. Against the Pelicans, LeBron sparked the Lakers' fourth-quarter rally, and Doncic closed it with clutch threes and calm poise.
In addition, Doncic returned the praise. “He’s been absolutely amazing,” he said. “That’s Bron. He can do anything.” Likewise, Lakers head coach JJ Redick framed LeBron’s mastery with one line fans already love: “He’s Greg Maddux at the end of his career… he has enough to win.”
As a result, Los Angeles now owns clarity. LeBron James leads, and Luka Doncic steers the Lakers forward. So here’s the real question for every fan in gold and purple: with this partnership peaking, how far can this ride go?