Lakers’ Luka Doncic addresses retirement timeline, return to Real Madrid in Wall Street Journal profile originally appeared on The Sporting News
Luka Doncic was the subject of an extensive profile by the Wall Street Journal’s Jason Gay, which revealed plenty about life beyond the Los Angeles Lakers. Specifically, when that might come, and how he might get there.
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Doncic revealed that he probably wouldn’t play at the age of 41, which is the age his superstar teammate, LeBron James, will be this December. He also didn’t write off the idea of returning to the team his career began with, Real Madrid.
“For sure. They raised me,” Doncic told Gay.
Doncic, according to Gay, also wants to consider owning a team, like James. LeBron is the minority owner of Fenway Sports Group, which owns and operates the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Liverpool F.C.
“Championships are what Luka wants, too—and he doesn’t want to wait, either. He’s been awestruck by James’s rigorous conditioning and business acumen, and says he wants to learn more from him. Like James, Doncic is intrigued by sports ownership, and it doesn’t have to be basketball,” Gay wrote.
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Doncic enters his first full season with the Lakers after being part of the most shocking trade in NBA history this past February. Doncic was dealt to L.A. for a package headlined by Anthony Davis.
While his eyes are on the prize – he helped GM Rob Pelinka construct the roster this offseason, leading to the additions of Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia, and Marcus Smart – Doncic’s eyes are clearly fixated on things beyond basketball.
That balance is one James hasn’t struck in L.A. His only NBA Championship with the Lakers came on the campus of Walt Disney World’s Wide World of Sports when the world was shut down.
We’ll see if a physically transformative summer for Doncic goes beyond his physique, and he can step up as the No. 1 option on the league’s most talked-about team.