Lakers Big Opens Up How Luka Doncic’s Huge 2026 Summer Initiative Makes Make the New Guys Feel Comfortable

Luka Doncic is back in a position where he is the lone star of his team, and he has been fully focused on fulfilling his responsibilities as the leader.

The Los Angeles Lakers parted ways with LeBron James, who decided to become a free agent, ending his eight-year tenure with the historic franchise.

Left in Hollywood is Doncic, who will now be the team’s main star—a role he embraced and carried out during his 6.5 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. The Slovenian is not wasting any time. He made it clear what type of teammates he wanted around him, and once the roster was assembled, he made sure to welcome each and every one of them.

One of the Lakers’ biggest challenges this season is the fact that more than half of the roster is new. Doncic is addressing that by bringing his old and new teammates together for bonding activities and mini-camps.

The NBA training camp will not officially open until September 29, but the six-time All-Star has taken the initiative to get an early start with his team. He flew nearly all of his teammates to Slovenia and, according to reports, paid for their plane tickets.

New Lakers big man Kevon Looney said the trip made him excited to work with Doncic.

“So it just shows his character, showing that he really wants to win. He wants people to know his background, why he is, how he is. And I think we did a good job of that,” said Looney.

“You know he’s a great player and a great leader, and he likes to show what he can do on the court. And we got to see his personality, off the court. So it was great.”

Dec 7, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) drives against Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Doncic loves playing with big men. Having an agile big man who can serve as a pick-and-roll partner has been one of his requests from the front office.

He now has three of them after former starting center DeAndre Ayton was traded to the Washington Wizards. The Lakers are essentially starting from scratch in that regard, and Doncic is aware of it. Sandro Mamukelashvili believes the team needed the Slovenia camp.

“First of all, shoutout to Luka. I think the organization was amazing, the way they planned everything,” Mamukelashvili said. “They showed us a lot of great places, and Ljubljana is a really, really nice city.”

The Georgian center especially loves the fact that the new guys are there as it will help them in building their chemistry.

“Plus, it was great for the new team. It was a bunch of new guys on the team, and you know, all of us being together, it didn’t even feel like it was a lot of new guys,” he added.

The other new big man in the squad is Walker Kessler who will be their starting center. Other new Lakers a re Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams, and Jaden Hardy.