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The bromance between Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves remains strong and it’s a bond the Lakers will lean on with LeBron James no longer on the team.
After eight years of James being the Lakers’ leader, the role now will be shared by Doncic and Reaves.
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Doncic already took a step in that direction when he invited his teammates to his home country of Slovenia in August for a bonding trip.
Reaves chided Doncic about losing in rowing, bowling and golf while they were in Slovenia together.
Reminded about it Monday at the Lakers’ media day, Doncic immediately retorted: “I beat him in golf two days ago. … He didn’t say that, huh?”
Doncic paused and smiled.
Read more: Five storylines to follow as Lakers open training camp this week
“The key was I was playing great golf,” Doncic said. “He gave me some strokes, I’m not going to lie — as he should.”
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Reaves spoke about the events his group won in Slovenia and how they beat Doncic in the process.
“We won the rowing, we won the golf, we won bowling,” Reaves said. “Luka tried to put on a blue shirt when his rowing team lost, which is crazy. But he did host us, so we let him hold the first-place trophy for once.”
The two friends and teammates have developed a closeness that their teammates have noticed.
“They get along so well that it’s kind of easy for them to co-lead this team — in different ways sometimes,” Jake LaRavia said. “I think sometimes Luka leads by example and we watch him and we watch how he goes about himself. AR can sometimes be a bit more vocal. But I think they both do a great job at what they are good at it when it comes to being leaders for this team.”
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Doncic led the NBA in scoring last season (33.5 points per game) and was third in assists (8.3). He averaged 7.7 rebounds and shot 47.6%, including 36.6% from three-point range.
Lakers guard Luka Doncic speaks during the team’s media day in El Segundo on Monday. (Eric Thaye r/ Los Angeles Times)
The three-year, $165-million contract extension Doncic signed last year kicked in this season.
“Obviously, it’s a new challenge,” he said about his leadership role. “I was in this position…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/luka-doncic-austin-reaves-ready-000143179.html
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Publish date : 2026-09-29 00:01:00
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