Los Angeles Lakers star guard Luka Doncic has completed just seven seasons in the NBA, yet he’s already played on the league’s biggest stage: the NBA Finals.
He suited up in the 2024 NBA Finals back when he was still playing for the Dallas Mavericks. He averaged 29.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game against the Boston Celtics, but it wasn’t enough for him to win the ultimate prize.
Doncic’s Mavericks didn’t put up all that much of a fight and lost the series in five games, as Boston’s well-balanced attack on both ends proved too much to handle.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Doncic made it clear during a May dinner in Los Angeles that included his business manager Lara Beth Seager, Lakers head coach J.J. Redick and executive Rob Pelinka that he will get back to the Finals stage.
“I don’t want to wait,” Doncic said during the dinner, a source told ESPN. “I had a taste of the Finals. I am getting back there. So let’s do whatever we can now.”
Doncic was maybe the most talented player on either team in the 2024 NBA Finals, but it takes more than one player to win a title, especially when going up against a well-rounded team like that Boston squad was. The Slovenian got little help from co-star Kyrie Irving when he needed it most, as Irving averaged just 19.8 points per game during the series and struggled to be efficient.
Doncic, to be fair, also didn’t have a perfect series despite his big numbers, as he drew criticism for his defense and could have been more efficient himself.
While Doncic might still have a bad taste in his mouth from how his first experience playing in the NBA Finals panned out, he has plenty of time to make up for it and add a championship ring to his resume. Maybe he will win his first NBA title as soon as this coming season, as the Lakers look to be better on paper than they were a season ago.
With any luck, Doncic will make it back to the NBA Finals before long and have at least one ring to his name by the time he calls it quits on his NBA career. Winning a title in Los Angeles would likely cement him as a Lakers legend.