Luka Doncic used his first Lakers minicamp in Slovenia to build relationships with teammates away from the usual NBA environment.
He covered the trip’s expenses and organized activities ranging from basketball and golf to fishing, restaurants and a visit to Lake Bled.
The experience made enough of an impression that the players personally thanked Doncic before leaving.
“At the end of the trip, each player took the time to write a handwritten note and then present it to Luka to thank him,” Rob Pelinka, Lakers general manager and president of basketball operations, said Thursday in his first media availability since last season ended.
Pelinka recalled Collin Sexton being particularly impressed by the opportunity.
“I think at one point Collin Sexton stood up and was like, ‘Look at where we are,’” he said. “There are a lot of people that never get to come overseas and experience [this]. This is amazing, and someone’s treating us to it.’”
With Los Angeles rebuilding its roster following LeBron James’ departure, the organization hopes the time together will help accelerate the development of chemistry around Doncic.
“I think that’ll be part of how we come together as a team,” Pelinka said.
JJ Redick had spent 48 hours with Doncic in Europe shortly before the minicamp and saw how seriously the Lakers star approached organizing the gathering.
“I could tell how excited he was and how much thought he put into that trip,” the head coach said. “And the guys all just enjoyed it.”
Redick also heard from his assistants that Lakers players “were very interested in Ljubljana and Slovenia and the Alps and Lake Bled and were asking questions.”
“That was a great team-building exercise,” he added.
Doncic is now at the center of the Lakers’ plans both on and off the court, and Pelinka values having his input while constructing the team around him.
“When you can co-create something that’s powerful with a star like Luka and retrofit a team around him, then there’s buy-in,” Pelinka said.
“We love those roundtable discussions where ideas are shared. Ultimately, I’ll do my job to make the final decision. But to get the input of a basketball savant like him, who sees the game at such a high level, Luka is the world’s greatest offensive player.”
