Luka Doncic told Los Angeles Lakers fans he belongs in purple and gold and will not stop until the franchise adds more championships.
“I’m a Laker. It feels amazing and now I desperately want what all Lakers want: to win it all. I won’t rest until we win more championships,” Doncic said.
The comments circulated Wednesday as Doncic prepared to return to Los Angeles for media day and the start of training camp.
They arrived at a turning point for the franchise. LeBron James will not play for the Lakers this season, leaving Doncic as the clear centerpiece.
Doncic, 27, is entering his first full year as the face of the team after the February 2025 trade that brought him from Dallas. He spent much of the offseason in Slovenia recovering from a left hamstring strain that ended his 2025-26 season on April 2.
Before the injury, Doncic led the NBA in scoring at 33.5 points per game. He also averaged 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds in 64 games.
The Lakers still won a first-round series without him before falling in the Western Conference semifinals.
Los Angeles then rebuilt the roster around him, adding Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton and other complementary pieces.
Doncic hosted several of those new teammates in Slovenia this summer to start building chemistry.
The Lakers hold 17 NBA championships, second only to Boston. Their last title came in 2020. That history is the standard Doncic has accepted since the day he arrived.
At his introductory news conference he said a player does not come to the Lakers for anything less than a championship. The new comments match that message. He is no longer a visitor in Los Angeles. He is framing himself as a Laker whose job is to deliver banners.
Doncic has six All-NBA First Team selections and no NBA title. The gap has defined his public goals since the trade.
Media day is Monday. Training camp opens the next day. The regular season begins Oct. 22 against Golden State.
For a city that measures success in championships, the quote set the tone before the first practice.
