Luka Dončić landed in Los Angeles after the Dallas Mavericks traded him in a blockbuster three-team deal involving the Utah Jazz in early 2025. The Slovenian sensation has quickly established himself as the unshakable cornerstone of this iconic franchise.
Ahead of the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season, the six-time All-Star organized a team-bonding minicamp for his Lakers teammates in his hometown of Ljubljana, Slovenia. The team arrived on August 20 and will spend 4-5 days participating in a packed schedule of group experiences and private gatherings arranged by Dončić.
NBA World Reacts to Luka Dončić and the Revamped LA Lakers’ ‘First Supper’ in Slovenia
The trip to Dončić’s home country features luxurious private-jet travel, fishing on Lake Bled, Slovenian welcome gift bags, golf outings, sightseeing and exploring the capital, group dinners, and intense workouts to foster locker room chemistry.
Upon the team’s arrival, Dončić hosted a group dinner at his favorite local restaurant and shared a photo with the Lakers squad, captioned “First supper.” The post quickly went viral, drawing a wave of humorous fan reactions to the revamped roster.
New-look Lakers 🔥
(via @lukadoncic) pic.twitter.com/vJXEW6Vi3M
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) August 20, 2026
Taking aim at the new-look core, one fan posted, “Looking like a G-League team.”
“This team is horrible on paper,” tweeted a second fan.
“The way they’re all seated like this is some kinda renaissance painting and not a team meeting is sending me,” noted one user.
“Why is Bronny on the team still?” asked a second user.
“Bronny’s hangin’ in there,” posted another fan. A third user took the conspiracy theories to another level, writing, “Bronnie over there wearing a wire….”
In the same vein, another joked, “Bronny my spy for Sixers.” With such a young rotation, a third fan voiced their doubts, stating, “On my life, they not making the playoffs.”
The Lakers are coming off a 53–29 regular season (4th in the Western Conference), where they defeated the Houston Rockets 4–2 in the first round before falling 0–4 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the conference semifinals.
With LeBron James signing with the Philadelphia Sixers, the purple-and-gold franchise is undergoing a major overhaul, be it on-court or off-court. The front office has invested significant capital in assembling this new roster.
They secured Austin Reaves with a historic four-year, $185 million max deal, acquired Walker Kessler via sign-and-trade on a four-year, $130 million extension, and signed Sandro Mamukelashvili for $52 million.
During the 2026 NBA draft, they traded up to select Baylor’s Cameron Carr at No. 24, adding a wing who averaged 18.9 points, shot over 45% from the field, and 37% from three-point range last season.
With the official training camp scheduled for late September, all eyes are on the new Lakers roster to see how they navigate the competitive West while chasing the championship glory.
