The Los Angeles Lakers are used to being at the center of NBA headlines. Trades, superstars, championships, and controversy, it all comes with the purple and gold. But this summer, the story hasn’t just been about the court inside Crypto.com Arena. It’s been about a 26-year-old Slovenian superstar, Luka Doncic, who found himself at the center of one of the most stunning trades in league history.

For Jeanie Buss, the team’s governor, the deal was not just another blockbuster transaction. It was deeply personal, carrying both emotional weight and unexpected challenges. As she explained in a recent interview on Slovenian radio, Buss was struck by just how shaken Doncic was when he arrived in Los Angeles. “I’ve never had a player come to the Lakers and be as sad as he was,” she admitted. The shock of the trade, sprung without warning, left Doncic needing time to process what had just happened.

And yet, fast-forward a few months, and the story has come full circle in a way few could have predicted.

With the EuroBasket 2025 tournament now underway, Luka Doncic is once again suiting up for Slovenia, the team he has carried since he was a teenager. But this time, something unusual caught everyone’s eye, sitting courtside in Katowice, Poland, were none other than Jeanie Buss and Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka.

For Buss, who rarely makes international trips for non-NBA events, the gesture was nothing short of extraordinary. Flying 6,000 miles across the Atlantic to watch her new franchise cornerstone in action underscored just how committed the Lakers are to making Doncic feel supported, both as a player and as a person. Alongside Pelinka, Buss watched Slovenia’s final practice before the tournament and was spotted again during their opening matchup against host nation Poland. Although it doesn’t stop there. Buss was wearing a Lakers’ Luka Jersey!

Pelinka doubled down on the message, telling reporters: “Zero problems. It’s something we believe in as an organization. We would do nothing to get in the way of Luka playing for his country.”

To understand why this gesture mattered so much, it’s important to revisit February, when Doncic was suddenly traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers. Buss revealed that while she had known about the deal in advance, Doncic himself had been blindsided.

The trade wasn’t just shocking to fans; it was shocking to Luka Doncic himself. “Nobody knew the trade was going to happen. I knew, but he didn’t know,” Buss said. “And so we saw in real time that Luka is a real person and he had to process what happened.”

That sadness Buss described had roots deeper than just basketball. In a poignant revelation, she shared that the last time she saw Kobe Bryant alive was at a Lakers game where he had brought his daughter Gianna to watch Doncic play. Gianna adored Luka, and Kobe had made a point of bringing her to see him in person. “They have always been connected in some way,” Buss reflected. It’s that connection, she believes, that makes Doncic’s arrival in Los Angeles feel almost destined.

For Rob Pelinka, who once represented Kobe Bryant during his playing career, Doncic’s responsibilities with Slovenia resonate on a personal level. He knows the weight of carrying both a national team and the expectations of Lakers fans.

Pelinka explained how he and Buss spent time with Doncic before EuroBasket began, even having lunch with him to hear his perspective. “You can just tell how much pride he has about playing for his country and how close his relationships are with his teammates. He really wants to play well,” Pelinka said.

Indeed, Luka Doncic has been a driving force for Slovenia since his teenage years, helping them win their first-ever EuroBasket title in 2017 and then guiding them to a historic Olympic semifinal in 2020. For the Lakers front office, being present to support him in this chapter is as much about building trust as it is about basketball.

A New Chapter for Doncic and the Lakers

The Lakers are doing everything they can to make it clear that Luka Doncic is not just their newest star; he is their franchise cornerstone. After signing him to a three-year, $165 million extension this summer, the organization is treating him as both the present and the future.

And so, when Doncic showed up to Slovenia’s training camp in peak condition after an intense offseason of work, Buss and Pelinka knew this was their chance to send a message. As Pelinka put it: “To be able to watch that in person was worth flying over the ocean to be with him.”

It’s a rare move, one that highlights not only the Lakers’ belief in Doncic but also the healing process from the emotional shock of the trade. Buss herself admitted that the first few days in LA were tough for Luka. But seeing her and Pelinka sit courtside in Poland tells a new story: Luka Doncic is fully embraced, and the Lakers are willing to go anywhere to prove it.

For Slovenia, the challenge of EuroBasket 2025 is a steep one. Slotted in Group D with France, Poland, Israel, Belgium, and Iceland, Doncic will once again be tasked with carrying his country to the knockout stage. The rules are simple: finish in the top four, or go home.

It’s a reminder that while Doncic may now be a Los Angeles Laker, his heart still beats for Slovenia. And for Buss and Pelinka, that passion isn’t something to restrict; it’s something to celebrate.

When Jeanie Buss made the trip to Poland, she wasn’t just attending a basketball game. She was making a statement. For all the rumors, whispers, and doubts that surrounded Luka Doncic’s shocking trade, the Lakers are proving they’re invested in more than just his performance on the court. They’re invested in him as a person.

Buss’s words about Kobe and Gianna’s connection to Luka only reinforce that this partnership feels bigger than basketball. It feels like legacy, fate, and a chance for both sides to build something historic together.

What do you think, Lakers fans, was Jeanie Buss’s courtside trip to Poland the ultimate show of support for Luka Doncic, or do you see it as more of a symbolic gesture?