Los Angeles Lakers megastar Luka Dončić is in Poland; as of Wednesday, so are Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka.
Dončić, who is in Katowice representing his native Slovenia in the opening round (group phase) of EuroBasket 2025, was visited by Buss and Pelinka, who took a lengthy flight to spend time with the talented guard.
Dončić was moved by the visit, as he communicated during a press conference on Wednesday for EuroBasket.
“It means a lot,” Dončić said. “It’s a long flight. I think it’s like 11-12 hours, so it means a lot, you know, for them just to be here to support me. We had a good lunch today, so it was great to see them.”
It was the second display of loyalty and faith from Buss and Pelinka this month, the first being a tad more lucrative for Luka — a three-year, $165 million extension that Dončić and the Lakers brass finalized at the start of August.
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Luka is now locked in with the Lakers through the 2028-29 season.
The 26-year-old global star is also committed to his home country, hence his continual desire to represent Slovenia on the world stage. Slovenia opens its EuroBasket draw against Poland on Thursday at Spodek Arena in Katowice.
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Luka was asked about representing his nation during the presser.
“For me, it’s an easy choice,” Dončić said. “I always want to represent my country. I always did, no matter what. Obviously, if I’m injured, I’m not going to play, but if I don’t have nothing, I will always play.”
Dončić turned heads this offseason by slimming down considerably. 2025-26 will be Luka’s first full season as a Laker alongside LeBron James, and Los Angeles is expected to be a contender.
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