Luka Dončić has played for the Los Angeles Lakers for over two months. Even before he played his first game in a Lakers uniform, everyone knew the team had just acquired one of the NBA’s best players and a future Hall of Famer.
With the playoffs merely weeks away, Lakers alum and two-time champion Sasha Vujačić revealed who Dončić reminds him of that will certainly excite the fanbase.
Sasha Vujačić Compares Luka Dončić to Kobe Bryant
Vujačić made an appearance on the “All the Mud” podcast where he talked about what makes Dončić special and how what makes him special seems reminiscent of his legendary Lakers teammate, Kobe Bryant.
“I’ve watched him play, and he might be the only one that reminds me a little bit more than anybody else of Kobe,” Vujačić said. The reason being he plays with a smile. He understands the geometry on a basketball court very well.
“He’s talented, but there’s something in his eye that when he plays the game of basketball, it’s just that killer thing that he has. He can smell blood like Kobe always said, ‘I can smell blood.’ You can see that he’s still young, but I think he’s got something of my big brother.”
Vujačić played with Bryant from 2004 to 2010 and helped Bryant secure the latter two of his five titles in 2009 and 2010. What the ex-Laker is talking about in regards to Bryant is what many know him for, which is “mamba mentality.”
Bryant was always one willing to take over games and take the last shots. Whether his teams loved him or hated him, Bryant’s confidence in himself never wavered, which is why he is considered among the most iconic Lakers ever.
The Best Demand The Best
The Lakers legend was not really the most well-liked teammate during his time with the Lakers, but that’s only because he consistently demanded excellence. Dončić has had teammates that he didn’t get along with, but it felt as though he’s usually had non-combative relationships with them.
While that is one stark contrast between the two, Dončić is one of the few players in the NBA just skilled enough to finish with a resume close to Bryant’s. It may sound like a tall order for him to measure up to the Lakers legend, but Dončić has already accomplished a lot.
Pairing him next to someone like LeBron James will make the Lakers quite the tough team in the postseason. Even after James is gone, Dončić could bring yet another glorious era of basketball to the franchise.