Jeanie Buss says Kobe Bryant would celebrate Luka Doncic’s role with Lakers
jeanie-buss-says-kobe-bryant-would-celebrate-luka-doncic-lakers
Los Angeles — Lakers governor Jeanie Buss believes the late Kobe Bryant would fully endorse Luka Doncic’s arrival as the new face of the franchise.
In an interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, relayed by HoopsHype, Buss said Bryant’s admiration for the Slovenian star was clear the last time she saw the Hall of Famer alive. “He came to the Lakers-Dallas game with Gigi because Luka was Gigi’s favorite player,” Buss recalled of the Dec. 29, 2019 visit to what was then Staples Center. “I know that Kobe would be excited that he’s now a Laker and will continue to lead this franchise into the foreseeable future.”
Doncic, 25, signed a contract extension with Los Angeles last summer and immediately produced a league-leading scoring season. Despite a late Grade 2 left hamstring strain, he was widely considered an MVP candidate and topped the NBA in jersey sales.
Buss praised Doncic’s impact on and off the court. “I knew he was a great player, an All-Star, but what he brings us globally in terms of fans, we just have so much to look forward to,” she said. “And he’s a winner. He wants to win.”
LeBron James, now able to play a secondary role for the first time in his career, credited Doncic’s comfort within the organization for the guard’s breakout campaign. James said that stability allowed the four-time All-Star to silence past concerns about weight and conditioning.
With a long-term deal in place and the endorsement of both Buss and James, Doncic is positioned to follow the lineage of Bryant and James as the cornerstone of the Lakers.
Source: Lakers Nation
