Former NBA player Al Harrington recently shared a critical assessment of Luka Doncic’s time alongside LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers, arguing that the pairing failed to produce the expected growth in the younger star.
Speaking on the To the Baha podcast, Harrington suggested that Doncic missed a valuable opportunity to refine his game by observing and adopting James’s professional habits.
“I think with him it’s just like ‘can he get with somebody that can develop his whole game?’ So, like, would you think that going to play with LeBron James, right? And seeing LeBron’s habits and all that kind of [expletive] would overall like make him better, right?” Harrington said. “I personally think that probably did not happen because one, I think he’s arrogant. I also think that LeBron is at the point in his career that he probably doesn’t even have the same patience.”
Harrington’s remarks portray Doncic as unwilling to humble himself and learn from a veteran widely regarded as one of the most complete players in NBA history.
He went further by implying that James’ decision to leave the Lakers for the Philadelphia 76ers stemmed in part from frustration with that situation and a lack of remaining patience for developing his teammate.
Those comments have drawn attention because they stand apart from most public accounts of last season. James, Doncic and Austin Reaves appeared to enjoy playing together and spoke positively about sharing the floor with another elite talent.
James’ departure is more commonly attributed to the stronger championship outlooks available in the Eastern Conference, where Philadelphia, Cleveland and Miami all looked closer to title contention than the Lakers. Some reports also pointed to organizational tensions, including the Lakers’ front office reportedly prioritizing pieces that fit around Doncic over James himself.
Harrington’s focus on habits also revives older questions about Doncic’s conditioning that surfaced when Dallas traded him to Los Angeles.
Yet last season, Doncic arrived in what many considered the best physical shape of his career and produced MVP-caliber basketball that helped the Lakers secure a top-four seed. Injuries late in the year limited him, but they did not appear to stem from a lack of work or discipline.
As the Lakers enter a new season without James, Doncic will be asked to shoulder even more of the leadership load alongside a roster built around role players.
Harrington’s skepticism, rooted in his view of Doncic’s arrogance and the missed chance to learn from James, will likely linger until the Slovenian star delivers a championship or an MVP award.
Whether that criticism proves fair or simply another chapter in the ongoing debate about Doncic’s approach remains to be seen on the court.
