The Los Angeles Lakers are beginning a new era without LeBron James, and now is officially time for Luka Doncic to be the top superstar of the team.
Ahead of Wednesday’s season opener against the Golden State Warriors, Doncic put out a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times newspaper with a championship message to the fans.
“DEAR LA, Tonight we start our run for a championship. Every player dreams of holding that trophy.
To do it for all of you amazing fans would mean everything to us,” Doncic wrote at the beginning of the ad.
Luka Dončić wrote a letter to Lakers fans 💛 https://t.co/Fl9rWWbZqQ
— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) October 21, 2026
Doncic is set to begin his second full season with the Lakers after coming over in the stunning Anthony Davis blockbuster trade with the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 1, 2025.
After LeBron James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency this summer, Doncic went out of his way to make an effort to be the team leader. This included a trip to Slovenia with his teammates, which included training sessions and sightseeing in Doncic’s home country.
The Lakers have a lot of new faces in town, so there are plenty of questions about whether or not this new-look roster can make a run to the NBA Finals.
Doncic and LA begin the season on Wednesday against the Warriors at Crypto.com Arena in LA.
