If the basketball gods are kind, the 2026 All-Star Weekend will showcase that LeBron James is truly ageless. Questions still loom about the participation of Lakers superstars with James being delegated to a reserve and Luka Doncic injured. That didn’t deter Doncic from taking a few shots at his elderly teammate.

Ahead of the trip to Inglewood, Doncic popped up on SportsCenter to answer some burning questions. One of them being about his future career trajectory. Another about the Lakers chances this offseason.

“First is to just stay together. You know, obviously we have three main ball handlers—me, AR [Austin Reaves], and Bron,” Doncic said about what the Lakers desperately need right now. There was some righteous confidence too when he said, “I think we can be a very, very dangerous team.”

The key to keeping that tag is their health. James was sidelined with sciatica when Doncic and Austin Reaves made a lethal offensive duo. By the time James came back, AR was sidelined for over a month with calf strain. On Reaves’ second game back, Doncic made a first-half exit with hamstring strain, leaving AR to carry the team the rest of the way.

 The 41-year-old held the fort against Luka’s former team, the Dallas Mavericks (that completely dismantled the year-old trade that sent Doncic to LA) as Doncic is unavailable. While leading the Lakers to a 124-104 win, James became the only 41-year-old in NBA history to record a triple-double.

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Funnily, he does that a day after he claimed the Lakers are not a championship team. “We can’t sustain energy and effort for 48 minutes, and they can. That’s why they won the championship.” James said about the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Clearly his teammate has more faith in Bron’s endurance than the man himself. Despite doubts about how an aging superstar would fit with a young powerhouse like Doncic, the point guard himself has more confidence with the vet.

Luka Doncic’s doesn’t plan to imititate LeBron James

He was asked about his own timeline for hanging up his sneakers. The hosts even prodded maybe at age 45. However, the 26-year-old firmly rejected the idea.

“Definitely not 41. I’m not playing till 41. I’ll tell you that,” Doncic said with a grin when asked if he could see himself reaching the age milestones currently being redefined by James. Playful as it was, Luka Doncic firmly distanced himself from the longevity standards currently being set by King James.

Doncic, who led the All-Star race with 3.4 million votes, has held this stance all season. At James’ 41st birthday in December 2025, the Slovenian expressed admiration for Bron’s work ethic required to stay elite but claimed his own body might have other plans. “Probably me at 41, I’ll be limping around,” he said then.

It’s a little extreme to ask Doncic about retirement when the Lakers are in the middle of a transition. They currently sit fifth in the Western Conference with a 33-21 record and have not had a full roster all season.

Despite the lighthearted jabs at LeBron’s age, Doncic remains laser-focused on the chemistry of the Lakers’ new-look “Big Three,” which features himself, James, and ‘not friend’ Austin Reaves. The trio has been hampered by injuries, playing only 10 games together so far this season, a factor that Doncic believes is the only thing standing between them and true championship contention.

We’ve not got this trio at full strength yet. But Doncic shared a bit of good news by confirming all three will be in the lineup after the All-Star break. With James and Reaves, Doncic seems content to chase his first championship ring in the present rather than chasing longevity records in the future.