Overview

• An ESPN survey of 20 executives, coaches and scouts put Dončić third in projected 2026 MVP voting with four votes, and he also received one vote as the league’s best player right now and finished second in a 2030 best-player forecast.
• Jeanie Buss publicly linked Dončić’s global profile to Lakers icons Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James after team leaders traveled to Poland to support him at EuroBasket 2025.
• Dončić says he will be more vocal and embrace leadership responsibilities, a shift echoed by Slovenian teammate Edo Murić, with reporting that he helped recruit Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton to Los Angeles.
• The 26-year-old overhauled his conditioning and diet, including intermittent fasting and a personal chef, then averaged 34.7 points and made the All-Star Five at EuroBasket while showing improved mobility.
• Following his three-year, $165 million extension, the Lakers added Ayton, Smart and Jake LaRavia as GM Rob Pelinka stresses roster optionality alongside LeBron James entering his contract year.