LeBron James on Tuesday said that he is relishing the prospect of joining forces with Luka Doncic at the Los Angeles Lakers following a shock deal.
Doncic was formally unveiled by the Lakers on Tuesday after a jaw-dropping trade from the Dallas Mavericks that saw Anthony Davis head in the opposite direction.
Lakers star James was only informed of the Doncic trade late on Saturday and said on Tuesday that he was still coming to terms with the news in his first public comments since the deal.
Photo: AFP
“It’s been a whirlwind,” James said shortly after leading the Lakers to a 122-97 demolition of the Los Angeles Clippers.
“It’s been challenging for sure, you know, especially for me. I had six years with AD [Davis], won a championship with my guy, one of my best friends, obviously, but you know — it’s a business and you understand that. It’s the business of basketball. We understand that,” he added.
James said that he was excited by the thought of forming a potent double act alongside Doncic, who looked on from the sidelines on Tuesday as the Lakers romped to victory.
“It’s going to be special,” James said. “We’re gonna attract a lot of eyes. Obviously our ability to score, rebound and pass — it’s gonna make it a lot easier on our teammates and that’s all we want to do.”
“We want to be able to create opportunities for our teammates where they only have to catch, finish, catch dunk, catch shoot, and it’s our job to lead them every single night,” he said. “Listen, Luka is a big-time player — 25 years old, hasn’t even reached his prime yet, and he’s done some amazing stuff in our league already. I’m happy to have him. And LA is happy to have him. It’s still a little bit surreal, to be honest.”
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said earlier on Tuesday that Doncic, who has not played since Dec. 25 last year after sustaining a calf injury, could make his debut soon.
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