Luka Doncic is officially a member of the Los Angeles Lakers for the long-haul after he signed a new three-year contract extension, tying his prime years to the storied franchise.
For weeks, it had been reported that Doncic would commit to the Lakers and the organization has done everything in its power to show him the feeling is mutual. Los Angeles’ future post-LeBron James was murky at best, but Doncic provides a clear path forward to contend for titles for years to come.
In order to transform his body ahead of his most important season yet, Doncic focused on dieting and conditioning without playing any live basketball. However, he is set to play for the Slovenian National Team for the upcoming EuroBasket 2025 tournament, marking his return to the court.
Shortly after signing his extension with the Lakers, Doncic reported to the national team and appears ready to play on Friday against Germany in their first exhibition game:
“It’s always nice to see national team teammates. In the team there are some new faces, but I’m sure, that we’ll catch up fast. I know guys already had great practices in these days and I’m already looking forward to a Fridays games vs Germany”
– Luka Dončić
— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) August 5, 2025
Video of Doncic arriving and practicing was also released by the Slovenian National Team:
And he’s baaaack!
#mojtim | @luka7doncic pic.twitter.com/yHOLExuyMg
— Košarkarska zveza SIovenije (@kzs_si) August 5, 2025
From the looks and sounds of it, Doncic seems happy to be back with his national team practicing and playing basketball. The 26-year-old acknowledged he hadn’t gone without playing basketball for this long before, so this comes at a great time as he gets chance to find his rhythm and timing back.
Slovenia’s schedule for EuroBasket 2025 was recently released, with Doncic and the team kicking off exhibition games against Germany and ending on Aug. 21 against Serbia. From there, Slovenia will begin group play a week later on Aug. 28 against Poland.
It’s hard to imagine Slovenia advancing far in the tournament as several other countries have multiple NBA players representing their respective national teams, but Lakers fans will only care how Doncic looks on the court before training camp.
Lakers took Luka Doncic to see Backstreet Boys in Las Vegas
To celebrate Luka Doncic signing his extension, the Lakers took him, his family, friends and several members on the roster to watch the Backstreet Boys perform at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
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