Luka Dončić has never been one to shy away from a slight dig here and there. He’s established himself as one of the most elite trash-talkers in the NBA, and the buck seemingly doesn’t stop at his opponents.
In an interview from over a year ago, he took quite the hilarious dig at his teammate, Bronny James, and his lack of playing time for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Luka Dončić Poked Fun at Bronny James and His Bench Role for the Lakers
Dončić sat down with Caleb Pressley in April 2025 to partake in Pressley’s satirical ‘Sundae Conversation’ show.
While on the show, Dončić was asked who made him the most nervous when he saw them courtside: “Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian, Bronny James.”
Dončić’s response? “Bronny James.”
When asked if Bronny makes him nervous, the Slovenian All-Star hilariously said, “Yeah, because usually he’s on the bench, so I’m nervous why he’s sitting courtside.”
Luka Doncic on who would make him most nervous sitting courtside
“Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian, or Bronny James?”
Luka: “Bronny James.”
“You’d be nervous?”
Luka: “He’s usually on the bench, so if he’s sitting courtside, I’m wondering why.” pic.twitter.com/FFQoQhOalK
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) September 2, 2026
Without context, this could be seen as a proper dig at James from Doncic. With him being the 55th pick in the 2024 draft, it makes sense that he doesn’t get all too much playing time, even if, at the time, his father, LeBron James, was on the team.
Bronny had also not made all too many significant strides in his rookie season to warrant an increase in playing time in JJ Redick and the coaching staff’s eyes. He averaged 2.3 points on 31.3/28.1/78.6 shooting splits in merely 6.7 minutes of play per game.
However, as most NBA fans would understand, Dončić was most likely not taking a serious dig at his own teammate.
Combining his playful nature and the non-serious premise of the ‘Sundae Conversation’ show, this ‘dig’ could be chalked up to banter between two teammates.
In the past, Doncic has praised James for his development and overall game. After a March 25 win over the Pacers in the 2025-26 season, Dončić said, “Definitely a big improvement from last year. I saw him in training camp; he was doing some stuff that I was really impressed with.”
He then recounted James’ pull-jumper to increase the lead to 15 in the clutch in that game, saying, “He did a great job today. Big game for him, that pull-up 2, it was a big bucket. It was one of the most important shots of the game.”
It’s clear that the two have solid chemistry off the court. With LeBron now in Philadelphia and the Lakers’ roster being revamped, perhaps they will have more time to spend on the NBA hardwood to build more on-court chemistry.
