Several of the Los Angeles Lakers players showed up and celebrated Luka Doncic‘s three-year, $165 million extension with the franchise.
Doncic acknowledged some of his teammates, who include Maxi Kleber, new additions Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton, during his press conference that followed his extension contract signing on Aug. 2.
Then later that night, his other teammates, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes, Kleber and rookie Adou Thiero joined him at the Backstreet Boys concert in Las Vegas.
Noticeably absent was LeBron James, who posted videos of himself on Instagram playing golf with his son, Bronny James.
But it was not like LeBron snubbed Doncic’s momentous day with the Lakers franchise.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, “LeBron FaceTimed Dončić on Saturday morning to congratulate him on the new deal.”
Lakers Star Avoiding Media This Offseason
Perhaps LeBron just skipped the event so as not to take the spotlight away from Doncic since the Lakers’ offseason had already been overshadowed by the uncertainty of his future with the franchise.
LeBron has been avoiding the media since he picked up his $52.6 million player option that came with a strong statement from his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN’s Shams Charania on June 29, before the NBA Free Agency opened. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.”
Getty LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers talks with Rich Paul during a stop in play at Madison Square Garden.
Paul then added that James will closely monitor the Lakers’ offseason and will evaluate “what’s best” for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. The super agent said they understand the challenge in building to win now while preparing for the future of the franchise.
“He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him,” Paul closed his statement.
Since then, the Lakers have made win-now moves by addressing their frontcourt woes with the addition of Ayton and bolstering their perimeter defense with Smart, a former NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
James turned down an interview request by ESPN during the NBA Summer League.
“I ain’t got nothing to talk about,” James was quoted telling ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Rob Pelinka Hopes LeBron to Retire as a Laker
Lakers president Rob Pelinka is still holding out hope that LeBron will remain a Laker for the rest of his career.
“Yeah, [I expect him to retire as a Laker],” Pelinka told reporters during the press conference that marked Doncic’s long-term commitment to the franchise.
Getty Lakers GM Rob Pelinka greets LeBron James during a G-League game at UCLA Health Training Center.
Pelinka denied there is a rift between the Lakers and James.
“So all the interactions we’ve had with LeBron and his camp, Rich in particular, have been positive and supportive, so very professional and Rich [Paul] has been great,” Pelinka told reporters. “The dialogue with him has been open and constant. So that helps answer that question.”
James will become an unrestricted free agent after next season. What he does next — retire or join another team — will certainly hang a dark cloud over the Lakers next season.
“And in terms of LeBron’s career, I think the number one thing we have to do there is respect his and his family’s decision in terms of how long he’s gonna play,” Pelinka told reporters. “That’s first and foremost, and we want to respect his ability to come up with his timetable on that. I think that’s, that’s really important. But if he had a chance to retire as a Laker, that would be great.”
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