Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has signed a three-year, $165million maximum contract extension with the team, with an option to extend through the 2028 season.
Doncic’s megadeal secures his future with the team while also casting doubt on the path forward beyond this season for teammate and living legend LeBron James.
James is set to make $52.6million this season, with him becoming a free agent in 2026, likely not demanding maximum-contract money.
Los Angeles has signaled with the move that Doncic will be the focal point of the franchise moving forward.
Doncic, 26, has more than a decade left in the NBA, while James will turn 41 in December and is entering his record-breaking 23rd league season.
The two can both get maximum contract money on the same team, with that limiting options around them. Moving into the future, it is hard to see the Lakers committing that much behind James.
Lakers star Luka Doncic has signed a three-year, $165million maximum contract extension
Doncic’s megadeal secures his future while also casting doubt on the path forward for James
‘I just signed my extension with the Lakers. Excited to keep working to bring championships to LA and make Laker Nation proud. Grateful to the Lakers, my teammates and all the fans who’ve shown so much love since day one. This is just the beginning,’ Doncic posted on social media about the extension.
In the interim season with James and Doncic as teammates, the Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the NBA postseason.
Expectations are still high in Los Angeles, with the duo at the core of the team.
Doncic is consistently rated among the top five players in the NBA, while James shows flashes of what has made him one of the greatest to ever touch the hardwood.
Surrounding James and Doncic in Hollywood are Marcus Smart, Dalton Knecht, Austin Reaves, Bronny James, and others.
