The LeBron James era in LA is over, and Luka Doncic isn't wasting any time stepping into the void. According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, Doncic is chartering a plane and taking nearly the entire Lakers roster to Slovenia for a 5-day team-bonding trip, complete with gift bags, fishing at Lake Bled, golf and dinner at one of his favorite restaurants back home.
This isn't a random flex. James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency this past June to close out his career, and per Shelburne's reporting, the Lakers reportedly never even explained to him how they planned to reallocate his $52.6 million salary before he walked. Doncic, meanwhile, is locked in — he signed a 3-year, $165 million max extension with a player option in August 2025, keeping him in LA through at least 2028-29. The Slovenia trip is being described as his first public move as the true face of the franchise now that James is gone.
The itinerary reportedly runs 4 days once the group lands, with workouts mixed in alongside the golf, fishing and some Ljubljana sightseeing. Doncic is said to be chartering a plane for 14 people to get everyone there, and players are reportedly getting gifts waiting for them at the hotel on top of the gift bags for the flight over. It's a full-blown minicamp dressed up as a vacation.
The timing tracks. LA got bounced in the first round by the Thunder last spring, and the roster looks a lot different heading into 2026-27 without James in the picture. A captain personally flying his new teammates to his hometown to eat, fish and golf together is the kind of chemistry-building move that doesn't show up on a stat sheet but can matter plenty once the games start counting. Training camp and the preseason opener are still weeks out, but Doncic clearly wanted his guys locked in before then.
Whether a few days on Lake Bled actually translates into wins in October is impossible to know yet. But symbolically, this is Doncic grabbing the keys to the organization and making sure everyone in that locker room knows it — starting with a trip to his own backyard.