“Ain’t my job!” LeBron James not trying to convince Luka Doncic to stay with Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers hope Luka Doncic signs a long-term contract and takes over as the next franchise cornerstone from LeBron James.

“Ain’t my job!” LeBron James not trying to convince Luka Doncic to stay with Lakers

LeBron James will not try and influence Luka Doncic's future with the Lakers (Image via FirstSportz)

The Los Angeles Lakers did not expect to finish their 2025-26 campaign this early. In LeBron James and Luka Doncic, they possessed two of the most experienced playoff participants. However, the Minnesota Timberwolves exposed some of their weaknesses and emerged triumphant in the first round.

Fatigue was a major problem after James, Doncic, and the starters played the entire second half of Game 4. The Timberwolves dominated the paint to prove that the men in purple and gold struggled to defend against bigger and faster players.

Doncic received some criticism for his lack of effort on defense. But the Los Angeles Lakers have a bigger problem on their hands. The Slovenian will enter the final couple of years of his contract. In 2026, he will hold a player option. That means he will get to decide if he wants to continue playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.

No, that ain’t my job. Luka knows how I feel about him. Luka has to decide what he has to do with his future. He’s [26] years old, I’m 40, so he can’t be basing his career off me. But I hope, obviously. Laker fans f***ing love him here. L.A. has accepted him. We love him as a teammate, as a brother. But ultimately, he’s got to make a decision for him.

LeBron James said

This was LeBron James’ response to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin when he was asked if he would try and convince the 26-year-old to sign an extension soon. James knows the team and the city love Doncic, but the decision is still his to make.

Lakers have to do more to make Luka Doncic feel at home

Ever since Luka Doncic arrived in Los Angeles, the city has tried to do everything for him and his family to feel at home. They welcomed him with open arms and have cheered him wherever he goes. But he did join a Lakers team, which is not exactly a fit for him.

Los Angeles Lakers have to shift the focus from LeBron James to Luka Doncic when constructing roster
Los Angeles Lakers have to shift the focus from LeBron James to Luka Doncic when constructing roster (Image via NBA/X)

At the Dallas Mavericks, the entire roster was tailored to his needs. Kyrie Irving was brought in to take some scoring pressure off him. Then they brought in stud wing defenders to help on defense. They also gave him two legitimate lob threats, who can rotate in and out of the game to stay fresh.

That formula enabled him to lead the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season. This Lakers team is anything but that. The only player who could have been similar to what he had in Dallas was if they had completed the trade for Mark Williams.

Now, the organization has to rethink how it wants to structure its roster around its next franchise cornerstone. LeBron James‘ time is almost up. Which means Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick have to identify players who can help unlock the next level of Luka Doncic’s development. He might need to feel that it is his team before signing on that dotted line.

Doncic’s excuse in Game 5 exposed by former Lakers star

Luka Doncic was limping for much of the time in the Game 5 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. That was after Donte DiVincenzo hit him hard on his shoulder. The Slovenian immediately arched backwards and let out a cry as if he had hurt his back. But former Lakers star Patrick Beverley believes it was an act.

I’mma tell y’all a trick that NBA guys do. Anytime a motherf***er is losing, they like to play the hurt game. You’ve seen it with the Lakers, ‘my back, my back’. No, not your back, easy way to go out. That’s how you always know. Watch the elimination games, someone’s going to be hurt.

Patrick Beverley said as per Barstool sports

Beverley believes the back-hurting problem was faked, as the Lakers knew they had only had a slim chance of defeating the Timberwolves. Even if it was not to be true, the purple and gold franchise has a problem on its hands if player conditioning is an issue.

As they head into the offseason, head coach JJ Redick wants to work on a plan to get his players into championship conditioning. It is not known if that was a sly dig at his former teammate and now player. Whatever it is, they have to collectively formulate a solution with which they can be successful.

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