Los Angeles Lakers governor Jeanie Buss has welcomed a plethora of superstars into her organization over the years, and most of the time, they’re as happy as she is to be welcomed to the La La Land.
That wasn’t the case for the Lakers’ newest franchise star, Luka Doncic, who Buss admitted was understandably distraught when he found out he was going to be a Laker. The team president understood where he was coming from and didn’t take offense to it.
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“Nobody knew the trade was going to happen,” said Buss via radio1slo during her visit to Poland, where she’s watching Doncic and Team Slovenia compete in the EuroBasket tournament. “I knew, but he didn’t know. I’ve never had a player come to the Lakers and be as sad as he was, because the trade was such a huge surprise to him.”
Through Luka, Jeanie feels closer to Kobe
Buss, who admitted that it was her strategic decision to execute the Doncic trade as quietly as possible, has made it a point to embrace and make the international superstar feel as welcome as possible to the organization since he became a Laker.
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The organization had long desired to acquire Doncic, not just because of his rise to superstardom over the last six years but also because Buss felt he had a connection with the late great Kobe Bryant.
“With Luka, the last time I saw Kobe Bryant alive was when he brought his daughter Gianna to a Lakers game to see Luka play because Luka was Gianna’s favorite player, so they’ve always been connected in some way.
“I knew that if I had the opportunity to have somebody like Luka on the Lakers, that it would work out and we saw in real time that Luka’s a real person and that he had to process what happened and now he’s embraced the Lakers and that he’s all about L.A.,” Buss said.
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Before Kobe’s tragic passing in 2020, he was vocal about how much he admired Doncic’s game and why he felt he was going to be the next all-time great in the NBA.
Doncic is now happy to be a Laker
Despite being upset about the trade at first, the former Mavericks superstar has made it clear that he’s moved on from the trade and that he’s ready to compete for championships in Los Angeles.
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He made that crystal clear when he signed a three-year, $165 million maximum contract extension with the Lakers this summer, further solidifying his commitment with the organization for years to come.
The five-time All-Star has also repeatedly made it known that he’s happy to be a Laker and now considers Los Angeles his home. He spent the summer working on his body, as many fans and analysts believed he did not come in ready for a grueling NBA season last season.
It may have taken him time to process the trade, and understandably so, but as of this moment, Doncic is more than prepared to be the next great Lakers. Jeannie, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka for sure hope he is ready as they rolled a dice on him and looking at his resume he looks like a good bet.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.