Magic Johnson has a message for Luka Doncic as the five-time All-Star heads into his first full season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Johnson discussed the future of the Lakers during a Thursday morning appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up.” He praised J.J. Redick for the way the coach has seemingly challenged Doncic ahead of the offseason. Magic was also complimentary of Doncic for appearing to be in better shape since the season ended.
But Johnson also issued a challenge to Doncic.
“Luka, it’s great what you did in Dallas, but the difference is in Los Angeles we expect championships,” Johnson said. “And we expect our superstars to lead us to a championship. LeBron already did that. Now we want Luka to do the same thing.”
Magic also urged Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka to improve the roster by adding a big man and players who can get up and down the court quicker.
.@MagicJohnson has a message for Luka Doncic 👀
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 12, 2025
"It's great what you did in Dallas. But the difference is, in Los Angeles, we expect championships. And we expect our superstars to lead us to a championship. LeBron has already done that. Now we want Luka to do the same thing." pic.twitter.com/SQocwLswnw
Even with Doncic, the Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the opening round of the playoffs. LeBron James continues to play at an elite level, but he will turn 41 early next season. The Lakers are going to need Doncic to be a top-five superstar if they want to make a deeper run next year.
Johnson was highly critical of his former team during the playoffs. He felt the Lakers did not put forth enough effort to give themselves a chance to beat Minnesota. He is hoping a new mentality from Doncic will help change that next season.
