Overview

• In a Wall Street Journal feature, Dončić said he was stunned by February’s blockbuster trade from Dallas, calling it strange and stressing he didn’t want to upset either fan base.
• The 26-year-old detailed a month away from basketball to focus on conditioning, diet and strength work, then starred for Slovenia at EuroBasket with an upset of Italy before a quarterfinal loss to Germany, earning tournament All-Star honors.
• LeBron James praised Dončić as a “big-time savant” with elite basketball IQ and called him a “great” teammate, signaling confidence in the Lakers’ new centerpiece.
• NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the trade was “a bit of a kick in the ass” for Dončić and credited him for not sugarcoating his disappointment while using the move as a reset.
• After signing a reported three-year extension worth about $160–165 million in August, Dončić said his voice will grow in preseason, with training camp set to open Sept. 30.