The opening week of a season usually draws plenty of reactions. For those of us who follow the NBA closely, we understand the season is 82 games long, and you don’t win a championship in the first week. But we are fans. We love to overreact.

There were plenty of eye-catching moments from the 36 regular season games across the league, including the New York Knicks raising their first championship banner at Madison Square Garden in 53 years, LeBron James making his debut with his fourth team, and Tyrese Haliburton returning to the court for the first time after missing 486 days after tearing his Achilles tendon.

Here are a few observations from the first week of the 2026-27 NBA season.

J-Dub injury casts a dark cloud over OKC season

The Oklahoma City Thunder were having a good week until the last two minutes of their home game against the L.A. Clippers when Jalen Williams suffered a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle after a mid-air collision at the basket, the team announced.

“I just feel bad for him,” a visibly shaken Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said in a postgame interview while wiping tears. There was a hush in the arena. OKC players could barely look at their teammate.

Williams landed awkwardly on his left leg after driving to the hoop with 1:14 remaining in the final frame. He was fouled by Clippers guard Kris Dunn, who was assessed a flagrant-1 foul on the play following a review. J-Dub’s left foot was bent to the side. A staffer quickly covered it with a towel. The game was paused while he was stretchered off the floor.

“We just got to hold the fort down until he comes back,” SGA said.

Williams played in just 33 games last season, largely due to a hamstring injury. His return to health — averaging 16.5 points a game so far this season — was one of the reasons the Thunder are favored to win a second championship. Now, OKC will likely play the rest of the season without one of their main guys.

Ant-Man is having a ball with LaMelo

Several pundits were skeptical of Minnesota’s offseason acquisition of LaMelo Ball, including OneManFastBreak. It was one of those head-scratching moves because, on the surface, having two ball-dominant guards armed with strong personalities is usually a bad idea. But that’s why you play the game: give it a test run. The Timberwolves gave it a test run, and they are liking what they’re seeing so far. T-Wolves have boosted their championship odds.

The Timberwolves ruined Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Miami Heat debut with an impressive 131-106 victory. The T-Wolves followed it up two days later with a 115-93 win in Orlando to complete the Florida sweep. Minnesota capped their impressive opening act with a 117-94 win over the Toronto Raptors to improve to 3-0.

The addition of Ball has unlocked Anthony Edwards in more ways than one. Edwards doesn’t have to shoulder the offense every single possession, and LaMelo’s too-cool-for-school attitude is exactly what Edwards and the Timberwolves have been missing.

For so long, the T-Wolves have been leaning on Mike Conley to run the show. Conley is past his prime, and the offense eventually got stale and Edwards was forced to do do too much. With Ball running point and bringing his California vibe, the T-Wolves are playing with more freedom and joy. They are having more fun.

Ant-Man and Melo are hitting it off well. Ant genuinely likes playing with Melo. For the first time in his career, he feels he has a co-pilot capable of taking over at any given moment.

Edwards’ usage rate hovers around 30%, typically ranking him among the higher-usage offensive focal points in the league. Ant-Man averages 20.2 field goal attempts per game. Expect that number to increase a few ticks because Ball will push the pace and give Edwards extra possessions. Ball’s biggest impact could be felt in crunch time, as defenses won’t be able to load up on Edwards.

Hollywood reshuffle: Luka loves playing for his Lakers

It turns out that the L.A. Lakers are going to be just fine without LeBron James.

The new-look Lakers, armed with a Big 3 led by Luka Doncic, are no longer shackled by LeBron’s Klutch crew. Doncic is the undisputed captain of the ship with Austin Reaves as his chief mate. And $130-million man Walker Kessler anchors the squad, tasked with improving the Lakers’ defense.

“We have a tight group. I love playing with these guys,” Doncic said after dropping 52 points against the Utah Jazz to complete a 3-0 week for the Lakers.

Luka and LeBron said all the right things while they were teammates last season. Even though LeBron said it was Luka’s team, let’s be honest here. It wasn’t going to be Luka’s team until LeBron left. Once LeBron bolted for Philadelphia, the baton was passed to Luka. And he is running with the baton.

Giannis era in South Beach off to nightmarish start

Giannis Antetokounmpo made a bold prediction prior to his first game with his new team. The Greek Freak told ESPN’s Hannah Storm while sitting alongside his new frontcourt partner Bam Adebayo that he thinks the Miami Heat will be scary good on defense.

“I think defensively it’s gonna be a nightmare for whoever try to play against us,” Giannis said.

In three games, the Heat were torched by Minnesota, Detroit, and Charlotte. Miami gave up 131 points to Minnesota, 128 to the Detroit, and 115 to Charlotte. That’s 374 points! So far teams are far from being afraid to face the Heat defense.

The loss to the Hornets dropped the Heat to 0-3, marking the franchise’s worst season-opening stretch since 2007-08 and the first time Spoelstra has started a season with three straight defeats as head coach. Prior to the loss to Charlotte, Giannis scored 35 points against Minnesota and 36 against Detroit in the previous two losses. He scored 14 points on just 11 shot attempts against Charlotte.

Despite saying all the right things and embracing the Heat Culture, Giannis appears to be reverting back to his old habits in Milwaukee. The Bucks were not a good defensive team during Giannis’ last few years, and that leaky defense seems to be spilling over in Miami. If the Heat don’t fix their defense, they will more than likely be looking at another play-in game appearance.

Wilson, Boozer, Acuff out of the gates fast in rookie race

Caleb Wilson was the fourth player selected in the 2026 NBA draft, but he may be the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. Three games into his pro career, the Chicago Bulls forward is putting up historical statistics. After a 16-point outing in his first game, including a troubling nine turnovers.

Wilson came back with a better performance in his second game (21 points on 7-for-14 shooting). He erupted for 30 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and didn’t commit a single turnover in his third game.

The last time a Bulls rookie enjoyed this type of three-game start was none other than Michael Jordan. Jordan scored 74 points in his first three games with the Bulls in the 1984-85 season, including 37 in his third game.

Wilson’s main competition for Rookie of the Year could come from third overall pick Cameron Boozer, seventh overall pick Darius Acuff Jr., and 11th pick Yaxel Lendeborg.

Memphis Grizzlies are absolutely thrilled to have Boozer. The former Duke All-American and AP National Player of the Year is fitting in nicely with his new squad and, according to his coach, is already looking like a 10-year veteran.

“The kid is 19, and he’s making big-time plays offensively and defensively that takes other guys 10 years in the league to figure those out,” Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo said about Boozer. “And he is a player that epitomizes that because he doesn’t need to make shots in order to help the team win.”

After a shaky debut where he went 2-for-15 from the field, Boozer bounced back with a 25-point, 14-rebound performance against the Golden State Warriors.

Despite Acuff Jr.’s inefficiency and poor shot selection, the Sacramento Kings — including his teammates Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis — are clearly behind their uber-talented rookie.

“I told you guys from the get-go, I’m not worried about Darius at all. You guys can see how talented he is,” LaVine said following Acuff’s 33-point performance in his second NBA game.

Lendeborg made headlines when he got into a back-and-forth chatter with Lakers star Luka Doncic. The Golden State Warriors rookie didn’t back down. He told reporters he wasn’t impressed with Doncic because all Luka did during the game was complain to the refs.

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. He hosts a sports podcast on YouTube @onemanfastbreak1.

Luka Doncic and LeBron James can’t find the right chemistry. You don’t need to be a seasoned NBA writer to make that determination. The Los Angeles Lakers are disjointed whenever Luka Doncic and LeBron James are on the court together.

When the Lakers made the blockbuster trade to acquire Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks, one of the points of apprehension was how LeBron would adjust to having another alpha dog on the team.

So far, the results have been disappointing to say the least.

The Lakers are stuck in some kind of quantum realm where they can’t seem to escape at the moment. As much as they’d love to move forward with their Luka Doncic succession plan, they have a dinosaur in the room that needs to be addressed.

LeBron is now in his 22nd season in the NBA. He is 41 years old. He’s in the final year of his Lakers contract, and unless there’s a dramatic turn of events, it appears it’ll be his last run in purple and gold. Even though the numbers are still solid (21-5-7 and shooting 49% from the field), he is no longer elite. He finished eighth in the All-Star voting, which suggests many basketball fans are ready to move on from him.

The best analogy for the current relationship status between the Lakers and Luka and LeBron is like having your ex stay in the guest house while you live in the main house with your new bride.

At some point, the Lakers must make a clean break from LeBron. Nothing personal. It’s just business. In order for Doncic to get a full grip on the Laker kingdom and be the ultimate decision maker, he can’t be looking over his shoulder and tiptoeing around the former king.

You can clearly see that Doncic is doing his best not to step on LeBron’s toes, which is admirable, but it is also making it an awkward transition. And that awkward relationship is spilling onto the court.

As much as pundits and Lakers fans would love to blame the flawed roster for all the team’s woes, the biggest issue facing the team is the LeBron-Luka dynamic. The Lakers are a bottom-five offensive team when Luka and LeBron are on the court together.

Doncic’s game doesn’t mesh well with LeBron’s game. They have similar skill sets, and both need the ball in their hands to be effective. It was the same conundrum in Miami when LeBron and his good friend Dwyane Wade had to figure things out on the fly. Wade took a step back and allowed LeBron to take the lead. But that was LeBron in his prime. That was 15 years ago. The shoe is on the other foot now. Luka is now the main driver, and LeBron has to sit in the passenger seat, and he’s having a tough time with that reality.

To his credit, LeBron is making an effort in playing more off the ball. As much as he’d love to have the ball in his hands all the time, he understands there can be only one quarterback. Luka is the starting quarterback now.

But James is most effective when he’s the primary signal caller. He has been the offensive hub for the majority of his 22-year career, so it’s tough to teach an old dog new tricks. So, the Lakers essentially are playing with two quarterbacks, making it extremely difficult to find consistency and cohesion.

For the Luka-LeBron partnership to work, one of them must be a high-level role player and do the dirty work, such as defending at a high level, rebounding the ball, and bringing energy on both ends. It has to be LeBron to take on this role, and he can no longer do these things at this stage of his career.

The Lakers had at least an identity when Doncic and Austin Reaves were playing Batman and Robin. They were beating teams by outscoring them. With King James in the mix, the Lakers have lost their superpower. They’re not connected on defense, and they’re not connected on offense.

The quickest fix, as well as the most logical approach to restore order, is to let LeBron walk away and retool the roster in the offseason.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said at the start of the season that he would love to have LeBron retire in L.A. James has not indicated that 2026 would be his final year, and the Lakers do not seem to be in a rush to bring him back.

LeBron’s departure will open up $53 million in cap room. Pelinka can either use that cap flexibility to sign free agents or facilitate a blockbuster trade. Keep that phone line open in case Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokic calls.

Bringing back LeBron for a farewell tour wouldn’t be the worst decision in the world, but it would delay the reset another year. The Lakers are better off reshaping the roster with Doncic and Reaves as the main building blocks and surrounding them with a center who can protect the rim and athletic wing defenders to cover up their defensive deficiencies.

L.A. had high expectations entering the 2025-26 season. Doncic came into camp in phenomenal shape and agreed to a $165 million contract extension that would keep him in a Laker uniform through the 2029 season.

For about the first two months of the season, the Luka Laker plan was cruising down the 110 freeway without much traffic. Doncic and Reaves were both cooking defenses like top chefs. The Lakers were averaging a blistering 119.6 points per game and sprinted to a 15-4 record. Doncic averaged 33.6 points per game while Reaves averaged 24.5 points, including a 51-point outing against Sacramento.

The high watermark of the Lakers’ blistering start came during a late stretch in November when L.A. pieced together a seven-game winning streak. The Lakers were able to mask their shortcomings defensively with a high-octane offense that was blitzing teams from all angles.

During this blistering start, LeBron — who missed the first 14 games due to a right-side sciatica nerve injury — was still working his way back to his normal basketball routine. He took a backseat to Luka and Reaves.

Just when things appeared to be on easy street, the Lakers hit heavy traffic in mid-December when Reaves’ body started to break down. Reaves suffered a calf strain, which limited his time on the court. He briefly returned to action but reaggravated the calf injury on Christmas Day against Houston, forcing him to miss 19 games.

Since starting the season 15-4, the Lakers have a 20-20 record in their last 40 games, and their scoring average dipped to 108.3 points since the NBA All-Star break, which is seven points below their season average. Defense remains poor, but the team’s greatest strength, which is their ability to put the ball in the basket, has hit a snag.

The Lakers are what they are at this point in the season. It’s too late for trades or major pick-ups. JJ Redick and the coaching staff must play the cards they are handed.

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. He hosts a sports podcast on YouTube @onemanfastbreak1.

The 2026 NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 15 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., will feature a new wrinkle. Instead of the traditional Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference format or the silly All-Star captains choosing teams, the NBA’s annual midseason showcase event will feature two teams of U.S. players and one team of international players, also known as the World team.

The three squads will compete in a round-robin tournament featuring four 12-minute games. Each team will have a minimum of eight players, selected by a combination of fan votes (50%), current NBA players (25%), and a media panel (25%).

If NBA All-Star voting does not result in the selection of 16 U.S. players and eight international players (which can include American players with ties to other countries if necessary), then NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will select additional All-Stars to join either group to reach that minimum.

There was zero chance the international team wouldn’t be able to field an eight-man squad. In fact, the international talent pool is so deep that there will be snubs. When the 10 starters were announced on Jan. 19, five of them were foreign-born players. When the reserves were announced on Feb. 1, there were at least three qualified to be on Team World. Karl-Anthony Towns was born in the U.S., but represents the Dominican Republic in FIBA competitions. Towns said if selected to the All-Star game, he prefers Team World over the U.S. squad.

Assuming guys are healthy enough to play, the World team is stacked with an All-NBA starting five and plenty of firepower off the bench.

Starters
Nikola Jokic, center, Denver Nuggets
Giannis Antetokounmpo, forward, Milwaukee Bucks
Victor Wembanyama, forward-center, San Antonio Spurs
Luka Doncic, guard-forward, L.A. Lakers
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, guard, Oklahoma City Thunder

Bench
Jamal Murray, guard, Denver Nuggets
Karl-Anthony Towns, forward-center, New York Knicks
Deni Avdija, guard-forward, Portland Trail Blazers
Pascal Siakam, forward, Indiana Pacers
Potential injury replacements:
* Alperen Sengun, center, Houston Rockets
* Lauri Markkanen, forward, Utah Jazz

Jokic, Wemby, Giannis, Luka, and SGA have combined for six MVPs, two scoring titles, and three NBA championships. If the season ended today, there could be a strong case to be made that these five superstars deserve to be on the All-NBA first team.

Serbian superstar Nikola Jokic was well on his way to potentially a fourth MVP award until a hyper-extended knee derailed his season and forced him out of the Denver Nuggets lineup for a month.

Slovenia’s Luka Doncic, the leading vote-getter in the West, is having his best season in two years, leading the league in scoring and free throw attempts. He’s averaging 33.4 points per game, which would be his best mark since the 2023-24 season, and he gets to the line 11 times per game.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — born in Canada but played college basketball at Kentucky — is backing up his 2024-25 MVP season with another outstanding campaign. He’s second in the league in scoring and leads all players with 11.0 field goal makes per game. Behind Shai, the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder owns the best record in the NBA.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, also known as The Greek Freak, garnered the most votes of any Eastern Conference player. He isn’t having his typical MVP-type season, but he remains among the league leaders in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage.

Victor Wembanyama, now in his third year in the league, is the biggest reason why the San Antonio Spurs are poised to have their best season since the Tim Duncan era. The 22-year-old Frenchman played a vital role in helping the Spurs reach the championship game of the NBA Cup, and he was the force behind San Antonio’s three convincing wins over the OKC Thunder.

That’s quite a formidable starting unit. The bench for the World team isn’t too shabby.

Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the most versatile big men in the Association. He could easily start for the World team if Jokic, Wemby, or Giannis decide to skip the All-Star game. Towns, one of the best shooting big men in the NBA, was a force on both ends of the court during the New York Knicks’ championship run in the NBA Cup tournament.

Jamal Murray finally made an NBA All-Star team after nine seasons, as he was voted on by coaches as a reserve. The Denver Nuggets guard — the pride of Kitchener, Ontario — is averaging 26 points per game, five points higher than last season, and he is shooting a career-best 44% from 3-point range. Because of Murray, the Nuggets were able to stay in the top four in the West standings despite Jokic missing a month due to a hyperextended knee.

Israel’s Deni Avdija might be the biggest reason why the Portland Trail Blazers are still in the hunt for a spot in the playoffs. The first-time All-Star should be a cinch to win Most Improved Player as he’s putting together a career year. The first Israeli-born player selected to the NBA All-Star Game is averaging 25.5 points per game, easily the best of his career and a significant jump from his first season with the Blazers (16.9).

Forward Pascal Siakam from Cameroon was named to his fourth All-Star game as a reserve despite the Indiana Pacers’ abysmal record. Siakam has led the Pacers in scoring and rebounding this season, averaging 23.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists.

Two potential injury replacements on the World team are Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen and Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun.

Finland’s Markkanen ranks ninth in the league in scoring (27.9). He would be the ideal small ball 4 or stretch 4, allowing the guards on the World team space to operate. Sengun, who powered Turkey to a silver medal at EuroBasket 2025, is enjoying the best season of his young NBA career, posting career highs in points, assists, steals, blocks, field goal attempts, and free throw percentage.

About the only question marks for the World team are health and availability. Jokic is nursing a knee injury, Doncic has had an assortment of ailments, and Antetokounmpo will likely miss the All-Star game because of a calf injury. If fully healthy and able to participate in the showcase event in L.A., the World team is a scary squad on paper.

Team World’s starting backcourt of Luka and Shai are the top two scorers in the NBA, and its massive starting frontcourt could block the sun.

In a perfect situation, one of the U.S. teams will play Team World in the finals. And don’t bet against the World team.

Austin Reaves may not look like a DC Comics superhero, but his on-court performances suggest he’s got the ability to save the day when called into action.

Reaves’s ability to step into different roles makes him the perfect running mate for NBA superstar Luka Doncic. The fifth-year Los Angeles Lakers guard is comfortable playing a supporting role. He is comfortable in having the ball in his hands, and he’s comfortable in not having the ball in his hands all the time.

He’s also one of the best clutch players in the league, making it imperative for the Lakers to re-sign him to a long-term contract.

Reaves has had a remarkable basketball odyssey. He was an undrafted free agent out of the University. He played his way onto the Lakers’ roster on a two-way contract before earning a guaranteed contract. And he’s gotten better and better each year.

He bumped up his scoring average to 20.2 points per game in 2025, which is 13 points better than his total as a rookie. Through the first two weeks of the 2025-26 season, Reaves is averaging an eye-popping 31.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 9.3 assists. Those are All-Star numbers.

His multi-faceted game fits with any superstar. He can play off LeBron James or Doncic. Having earned his spot, he navigates changing roles and minutes easily—coming off the bench, starting, or being the primary, secondary, or tertiary option as needed.

He’s capable of dropping 51 points or 41 points. He’s capable of dishing out 16 assists, and the offense can run through him. He’s got the complete game. He can be the primary ball handler, he can score at three different levels, and he shoots an 86% clip from the free throw line. He can get to the line. He has an uncanny ability to draw fouls, using his body well to draw contact.

He is a low-maintenance, unique star player. While not yet an All-Star, he can fill that role if needed.

Each time LeBron or Luka sits or misses a game, Reaves seamlessly slides into the starring role for the Lakers. When LeBron or Luka return to the court, AR goes back to being No. 2 or No. 3 without a hitch. That’s quite a remarkable skill when you think about it. Many NBA players, such as Zach LaVine, Bradley Beal, and Russell Westbrook, don’t easily fit in. LaVine hasn’t changed his ways since he entered the league, whether it’s in Minnesota, Chicago, or Sacramento. Beal has struggled to find his groove at his last two stops (Phoenix and L.A.) after a successful run in Washington. Westbrook has played for six different teams since leaving Oklahoma City because it took him a while to figure out how to be a role player after being the focal point with the OKC Thunder.

Reaves has no trouble handling changing roles. His game is fluid. AR can adapt to any system, and he can do it without changing his game too much.

He has a super-high basketball IQ, and one of his greatest attributes is his capacity to remain calm during high-pressure situations. The Arkansas native has developed a reputation as a player who thrives in late-game situations for the Lakers, earning the trust of coaches and teammates.

“That guy is gonna show up in the big moments,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said of Reaves.

“He’s done that many times in his career,” Redick continued. “He’s done that many times since I’ve been his coach. I feel very comfortable with him making decisions in the late game.”

In his rookie season, Reaves hit a game-winning three-pointer against the Dallas Mavericks in overtime, providing an early sign of his “clutch” gene.

In his first playoff appearance, Reaves was given an opportunity to close the game, and he delivered. He dropped a 3-pointer to put the Lakers ahead 118-112 with 2:04 left. Then, he came off an Anthony Davis screen, beat two defenders (Tyus Jones and Dillon Brooks), and hit an off-balance jumper in the paint that iced the game with 1:30 left. He turned to the Lakers bench and screamed, “I’m him! I’m him!”

And this season, with LeBron and Luka both out with injuries, Reaves stepped up and delivered one of his most dramatic moments. He hit a one-legged floater at the buzzer after splitting two defenders in Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels to secure a 116-115 victory for an undermanned Lakers squad. This shot was particularly significant as it came in the same arena where he had missed a potential game-tying shot in the previous year’s playoffs, marking a moment of redemption.

The buzzer-beating shot capped off an outstanding overall performance by Reaves as he finished with 28 points and 16 assists in 40 minutes.

Closing the show is what star players do, and Reaves has closed the show on multiple occasions.

Reaves, who is only 27, will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026. He is projected to receive around $30-$40 million per year. The Lakers can offer him a five-year deal, while others can only put down a four-year offer.

The Lakers are in a strong position to provide Reaves with the best opportunity to grow and succeed. They have stability at the top with new majority owner Mark Walter, who also owns World Series champion L.A. Dodgers. The Lakers have stability at the coaching level with Redick signed through the 2029-30 season. The Lakers also have a franchise player in Luka.

Doncic and Reaves are developing a close relationship on and off the court. They can often be seen laughing and joking on the bench during time-outs, and the banter sometimes extends beyond the game and spills over during post-game interviews. They genuinely like each other. This type of bond is similar to what Luka experienced with Kyrie Irving in Dallas.

It would be a smart move for the Lakers to continue the Doncic-Reaves partnership going. Whatever LeBron decides to do won’t make much of a difference as long as the Lakers’ general manager Rob Pelinka does his job and locks up Reaves long term.

AR is the homegrown star the Lakers can’t afford to lose.

After shedding a few pounds, a leaner and meaner Luka Doncic shredded the competition at the FIBA European championships.

The Los Angeles Lakers should be excited for the 2025-26 NBA season following Doncic’s historic EuroBasket performance in which he led Slovenia to the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Germany.

“Luka’s play in EuroBasket made it clear to the entire basketball world that he’s on that incredibly short list of ‘best player on the planet’ candidates, if not at the top,” said Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, who traveled to Poland to watch Doncic.

Luka described his offseason as a “great summer,” and he appears to be in the best shape of his basketball career. He gave a taste of what he’ll be serving in the upcoming NBA season with a spectacular performance during the European championships.

Doncic led EuroBasket with 34.7 points per game, becoming the third player to average over 30. His average ranks third in tournament history, trailing only Nikos Galis’ 37.0 in 1987 and 35.6 in 1989.

Doncic looks to be in prime shape and prime position to have an MVP-type season for the Lakers, and it’s up to head coach JJ Redick — who signed a two-year contract extension to be with the Lakers through the 2029-30 season — to make sure to put Doncic in the best possible position to succeed in Year 2 of their partnership.

“I expect the best version of Luka, and it’s my job to bring that out every day,” Redick said during a Lakers press conference.

Pelinka and Lakers governor Jeanie Buss traveled to Poland to watch Doncic play for Slovenia and came away impressed with Luka’s growth as a leader.

“He not only led by example, but he was very demonstrative in practice, in terms of his expectations of the team and how they play,” Pelinka said of Luka.

Doncic seems at peace over what transpired on Feb. 2, 2025, when he got traded from Dallas to L.A. But it doesn’t mean he has forgotten about the simple fact that the Mavericks — a team that drafted him and practically raised him — shipped him out of town.

The Luka Revenge Tour is coming to every NBA city, especially in Dallas, and the extra motivation could lead to an MVP season for Luka and a potential return to the NBA Finals for the Lakers.

OneManFastBreak projects the top eight teams in the Western Conference.

1-Oklahoma City Thunder — Fresh off winning an NBA title, the Thunder signed their top three players to significant contracts and brought back their major role players from their championship squad. However, repeating as NBA champions won’t be easy, as the West is stacked and there hasn’t been a repeat NBA champion since the 2018 Warriors.

2-Houston Rockets — The loss of veteran guard Fred VanVleet, who tore his ACL, hurts from a leadership standpoint. The absence of VanVleet puts added pressure on Alperen Sengun to be more of a playmaker. Sengun had a superb EuroBasket, and his blossoming game should make Ime Udoka and the Rockets coaching staff excited. The addition of Kevin Durant and Dorian Finney-Smith make Sengun even more dangerous as he’ll have more room to operate.

3-L.A. Lakers — Pressure is on head coach JJ Redick to navigate around LeBron James’ potential last season with the Lakers, which could become a distraction. LeBron is entering the final year of his Lakers contract, and the team has shown little interest in extending his deal. “We would love for LeBron’s story to retire as a Laker. That’d be a positive story,” Pelinka said about LeBron’s future with the team.

4-Denver Nuggets — The Nuggets are trying to maximize Nikola Jokic’s prime years. They traded Michael Porter Jr., one of the key pieces of their 2023 championship team, to the Brooklyn Nets for a draft pick and forward Cam Johnson. The team moved off Russell Westbrook and brought back Bruce Brown, and signed veteran Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas should lessen some of Jokic’s heavy workload at the center spot.

5-Minnesota Timberwolves — Anthony Edwards is rededicating himself to getting in better shape, and it starts on the defensive end. Ant-Man is entering his sixth NBA season. He has been to the conference twice. For the Timberwolves to advance to the NBA Finals, Ant-Man must be more detailed on both ends of the floor.

6-Golden State Warriors — When Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler are healthy and playing together, the Warriors put together a 23-8 record. The problem is that age and mileage might be catching up with Curry (36), Butler (35), and Green (34).

7-San Antonio Spurs — Victor Wembanyama certainly had an adventurous offseason. He trained with Shaolin monks in Zhengzhou, China. He trained with NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon in Houston. Wemby is entering his third season as well-prepared as any player. This could be the year the Spurs return to the postseason.

8-L.A. Clippers — Allegations of a no-show endorsement contract between Kawhi Leonard and a now-bankrupt green banking company hang over the Clippers like a dark cloud. It’ll be up to head coach Ty Lue to keep the team focused and navigate around the scandal.

Play-In teams: Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks

Dennis Schroder etched his name in FIBA lore with one of the best closing performances you’ll ever see.

The 31-year-old point guard scored six points in the final minute to lead Germany to its first EuroBasket title since 1993. Germany defeated Turkey 88-83 in the gold medal game held at Riga, Latvia.

The win comes two years after Deutschland — largely with the same core group of players — won the FIBA World Cup title in 2023 in Manila. The rare double of winning the World Cup and European championships boosts Germany into the top tier in FIBA, and it could now lay claim to the title of second-best team in the world behind only the United States.

“We never shy away from the big moments. It’s not just Franz, it’s not just me, it’s the whole team,” said Schroder, who finished the final with 16 points, a game-high 12 assists, and he was named MVP of EuroBasket 2025. Schroder became only the seventh player to win MVP at both EuroBasket and the FIBA World Cup. The other six were Sergei Belov, Drazen Dalipagic, Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc, Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol. All six are in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The German captain was also named to the all-tournament team, joining teammate Franz Wagner, Turkey’s Alperen Sengun, Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Slovenia’s Luka Doncic.

“To be a World Cup winner and European champ, it’s big time,” said Schroder, who averaged 20.3 points and 7.2 assists for the entire tournament.

Winning EuroBasket elevates Schroder’s profile. His NBA credentials may not be up to par with other established stars like LeBron James or Kevin Durant — he’s now on his ninth NBA team in 12 seasons — but he’s building an impressive FIBA resume.

And his performance down the stretch in the gold medal match against Turkey was one for the ages.

After Shane Larkin put Turkey ahead by one point with 1:34 left in the fourth quarter, Schroder answered seconds later with a lefty layup high off glass over Sengun to give Germany an 84-83 lead. Then with under 24 seconds remaining and the shot clock winding down, Schroder calmly pulled up from free throw line and swished a rainbow jumper over Ercan Osmani to put the Germans up by three with 18.4 seconds left.

Turkey had an opportunity to tie but Sengun’s desperation 3-point heave barely drew iron. Schroder grabbed the rebound and iced the game with two free throws.

Germany joins the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Spain as the only nations to hold both FIBA World Cup and FIBA EuroBasket trophies at the same time.

Turkey reached the final for only the second time in 25 years after dismantling Greece 94-68 in the semifinals. Osmani starred with 18 of his 28 points in the first half alone, and Sengun added 15 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists.

Meanwhile, Germany booked their spot in the final after beating Finland 98-86. Schroder led the way with 26 points and 12 assists, with Franz Wagner adding 23 points in the win. Schroder’s 12 assists set a new EuroBasket record in the semifinals. Lauri Markkanen was held to 16 points (2-for-9 from 3-point and 6-for-17 from the field), eight points below his scoring average in the tournament. In two games against Germany, Markkannen was held to 13.5 points and 2-for-14 from behind the arc.

ONE-MAN SHOWS
EuroBasket 2025 produced many outstanding individual performances. From Luka Doncic’s historic scoring games to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s individual brilliance, the best basketball players in the world showed up and showed out in Riga.

Giannis put Greece on his back with a 30-point, 17-rebound performance in the bronze medal match against Finland. Giannis also added six assists, giving him a 20-10-5 stat line for the fourth time in the tournament. No other player has more than three over the last 30 years of EuroBasket.

It was Greece’s first EuroBasket medal since winning bronze in 2009. Head coach Vassilis Spanoulis was on the last Greek team that made the podium in EuroBasket.

Giannis called winning a bronze medal for his country “one of his biggest accomplishments.”

“I know I’ve won an NBA championship, but there’s no feeling like representing your national team and representing 12 million people that breathe and live this national team. This is probably the greatest accomplishment so far in my life,” the Milwaukee Bucks star said.

The Greek Freak scored 37 points, going 18-for-23 from the field, and grabbed 10 rebounds in leading Greece to an 84-79 win over Israel in the Round of 16. Only one other player on Greece scored in double figures (Kostas Sloukas had 11 points).

Luka Doncic’s one-man show continued in the knockout stage as the L.A. Lakers superstar dropped 42 points on 11-for-19 from the field, including 5-for-11 from 3-point, and had 10 rebounds in carrying Slovenia past Italy 84-77. The 42 points are five points off Doncic’s EuroBasket high mark of 47 against France in 2022.

Slovenia was eliminated by eventual EuroBasket champ Germany in the quarterfinals. In a loss, Doncic dropped 39 points on 11-for-25 shooting from the field and hit five 3-pointers. He also added 10 rebounds and seven assists.

Doncic finished with a tournament-best 34.7 points per game, becoming only the third player to average north of 30 points. Doncic’s 34.7 average is the third-best mark in tournament history. Only Greek legend Nikos Galis had a better tournament scoring average. Galis averaged 37.0 in 1987 and 35.6 in 1989.

SHOCKING UPSETS
In the most stunning result of the tournament, gold medal favorite Serbia was eliminated in the Round of 16 by Finland despite 33 points from Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. The Joker is still searching for that elusive FIBA gold medal, and this is the second straight EuroBasket tournament that Serbia went out in the Round of 16. Serbia lost to Italy in the Round of 16 in 2022, and now they bow out in the same stage in 2025, this time to Finland.

Finland got a team-high 29 points from Lauri Markkanen and timely 3-pointers from Elias Valtonen. The Fins pounded Serbia on the boards to the tune of 45-36 advantage, including 20 offensive rebounds.

Finland started on fire and went up 11-1 and extended the lead to 16-5 midway through the first quarter.

“They played a great game. From the start we didn’t come ready. I just wasn’t ready from the jump,” said Serbia forward Nikola Jovic, who plays for the Miami Heat. “Their 20 offensive rebounds were just unacceptable. We knew what they were doing, we prepared well, we watched film, still they managed to just better and more physical than us.”

The other major upset in the Round of 16 was Georgia beating France 80-70. The Paris Olympics silver medalists led for just four minutes as Georgia, behind the outside shooting of Bayern Munich guard Kamar Baldwin. Baldwin, who played college ball at Butler but went undrafted, picked a perfect timing for his EuroBasket career-high, scoring 24 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field.

The most talked about “revenge body” in the NBA since Shaquille O’Neal dropped a boatload of weight after he was traded from the L.A. Lakers to the Miami Heat in 2004 will be on full display at EuroBasket 2025.

Armed with a brand new body and brand new three-year, $165 million contract extension with the L.A. Lakers, Luka Doncic will be one of the biggest storylines to watch at the FIBA European championships, co-hosted by Cyprus, Finland, Poland, and Latvia. The finals will be held at Riga, Latvia.
Doncic’s body transformation isn’t the only thing different about him. The Lakers superstar is also more assertive, and his Slovenia teammates are taking notice.

“He’s embracing the challenge of being the face of a francise in the NBA and here. His words carry weight,” Slovenia guard Klemen Prepelic told SportKlub about his longtime national team teammate.

“You can already see signs of the new Luka,” Prepelic added. “It’s probably something expected of him by the Lakers as well. He’s the leader now. His voice counts the most.”

Doncic was basically fat-shamed by his former general manager, Dallas Mavericks executive Nico Harrison, when Harrison went on his why-did-you-trade-Luka explanation tour. Harrison said the main reason why the Mavs shipped Luka to L.A. was because of Doncic’s questionable work habits and conditioning.

Doncic used it as motivation as he worked himself into the best shape of his basketball career. The 26-year-old global star shed some serious pounds by committing to an offseason training program and a stricter diet. The end result was a body transformation that nearly broke the internet.
Images with the hashtag “Slim Luka” surfaced all over social media after Men’s Health published photos of an almost unrecognizable Doncic and his newly ripped body. Practically everyone with a TV show and a podcast couldn’t stop talking about it.

Doncic will put his slender body to the test as he leads Slovenia against a stacked tournament field that includes FIBA powerhouses Serbia, France and reigning World Cup champions Germany.

Here are the teams to watch at EuroBasket:

Teams with Star Power but Lack Firepower
SLOVENIA – Luka Doncic was only a teenager when Slovenia stunned the hoops world and won EuroBasket in 2017. But that was eight years ago and Goran Dragic is no longer around to help Luka. Slovenia enters the EuroBasket 2025 with a top-10 rating in the EuroBasket power rankings but the road to the title got tougher after forward Vlatko Cancar, formerly of the Denver Nuggets, withdrew from the competition, leaving the squad extremely thin in the frontcourt. Slovenia will be outmanned and outgunned.

Despite not having the necessary firepower, they have one nuke in the form of Luka Doncic. Any team with Doncic can’t be counted out because the L.A. Lakers superstar is capable of carrying an entire nation on his back.

GREECE – If Luka Doncic is the center of the Slovenian universe, Giannis Antetokounmpo is the solar energy that powers the Greek national squad. The two-time NBA MVP from the Milwaukee Bucks by himself is capable of backpacking Hellas and carry it out of the group stage and into the knockout round. But he won’t be alone in this fight. Giannis will be joined by two of his brothers, Kostas and Thanasis. Giannis plays better when he has family around him.

Tournament Dark Horses
TURKEY – Turkey drew the short end of the stick when it was placed in the same group as Serbia. Despite being in a tough group, Turkey has enough firepower to finish second in the group and qualify for the knockout stage. The head of the Turkish squad is Houston Rockets All-Star center Alperen Sengun. The 22-year-old big man is coming off a solid NBA season (19 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists) and he’s primed to announce his presence at the FIBA stage. Sengun has plenty of help on the frontcourt. Adem Bona carved out a solid role as a rotational player with the Philadelphia 76ers and he’s coming off a strong showing for the Sixers at the NBA summer league. Cedi Osman, who played six seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and now playing for Panathinaikos in Greece, and Furkan Korkmaz (played seven seasons with the 76ers) provide Turkey with two outstanding shooters. Shane Larkin — son of baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin — is the team’s starting point and might the most important player. If Larkin has a strong tournament, Turkey could be in the medal round.

ITALY – The Italians are entering the tournament with plenty of momentum, with one of their wins in the friendlies coming against Kristaps Porzingis (Atlanta Hawks) and Latvia. Italy is in Group C with Spain and Greece. Spain isn’t the same basketball power it once was and it’s undergoing a changing of the guard while Greece is beatable if Giannis has a poor outing. Italy’s roster doesn’t have the star power but it has solid NBA-level talent. Simone Fontecchio and Nico Melli lead a balanced Azzurri squad capable of advancing past the group stage and into the knockout round.

Top 3 Teams Competing for the Podium
3. FRANCE – Despite the absence of Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, and Nic Batum, France remains one of the top contenders because of its incredible talent depth. France will definitely miss Wemby’s game-changing skills, Gobert’s defense and Batum’s leadership, but there is no talent shortage on this year’s EuroBasket squad. Les Bleus fields a talented roster full of current NBA players — Bilal Coulibaly (Washington Wizards), Zaccharie Risacher (Hawks), Alex Sarr (Wizards), Guerschon Yabusele (New York Knicks) — and former NBA players like Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Theo Maledon. France has so much depth the team cut former New York Knick guard Frank Ntilikina, Moussa Diabate (Hornets) and Ousmane Dieng (OKC Thunder). With Wemby, Gobert and Batum not on the squad, there is a void that could be filled by younger French studs such as Risacher and Sarr to step out of the shadows of their more famous veterans and get their own shine.

2. GERMANY – Dennis Schroder and Franz Wagner headline a battle tested German squad that brings back the core group that won gold at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila. Andreas Obst, one of the best shooters in the German Bundesliga, joins Schroder in the backcourt, giving the Germans a superb 1-2 punch at point guard and shooting guard. Steady 3-and-D wing Isaac Bonga and NBA veteran center Daniel Theis round out the core unit that won the FIBA World Cup. Leading scorer Franz Wagner will be tasked with a bigger role, especially with his brother Mo Wagner sidelined as he’s recovering from a torn ACL. Tristan da Silva, Franz’s teammate with the Orlando Magic, might be an X factor and could be part of the finishing lineup. The pressure is on first-year coach Alex Mumbru to maintain the momentum built up over the last two years.

1. SERBIA – With a stacked roster that includes three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, the Serbians (rated No. 2 in the FIBA world rankings) are the heavy favorites to reach the final in Riga and hoist the EuroBasket trophy.

The Serbians have very little weaknesses and they are simply too good and too big to fail. They have a surplus of size and length, from guards to forwards to centers. Head coach Svetislav Pesic has a plethora of shooters like Bogdan Bogdanovic (L.A. Clippers), Aleksa Avramovic (Dubai), and Marko Guduric (Olimpia Milano).

Serbia has great size up front with 6-10 Nikola Jovic (Miami Heat), 6-11 Tristan Vukcevic (Washington Wizards), 6-11 Filip Petrusev, 7-0 Nikola Milutinov. And they have The Joker, the best center in the world.

Serbia will compete against host nation Latvia, Turkey, Estonia, Portugal and Czechia in Group A. Serbia should advance to the knockout round as Group A winner, and should be one of the finalists in Latvia.

Jokic led Serbia to a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but the Denver Nuggets superstar has never won a gold medal for his country in FIBA competition. Winning EuroBasket would be a tremendous accomplishment for The Joker, and this unit might be the best Serbian team Jokic has ever been a part of in his international career. This is the year when Jokic breaks through and finally captures that elusive gold medal for Serbia.

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastbreak.net. Follow and subscribe to his YouTube channel at @onemanfastbreak1.

The acquisition of center Deandre Ayton shows that the L.A. Lakers are still in win-now mode. However, it appears that LeBron James no longer aligns with the Lakers’ long-term plan. The Lakers are treating LeBron as an “expiring contract.” And this is not sitting well with LeBron and his Klutch Sports crew.

Deandre Ayton, former No. 1 overall pick in 2018, signed with the Lakers on a two-year deal worth $16 million. The Lakers now have their starting center in place. Ayton wasn’t the top center Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka had targeted at the start of free agency, but he took advantage of the bad breakup in Portland after the Blazers bought out Ayton’s contract.

Ayton will make $33 million during the 2025-26 season, but the Lakers are on the hook for only $8 million, so the Blazers are eating the bulk of that contract. That’s how badly they wanted to distance themselves from Ayton, whose time in Portland was a disappointment. He averaged 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds in just 40 games in the 2024-25 season.

Here’s what the Ayton move means for the Lakers. It means the Lakers are still in it to win it for 2025-26; they still want to win now. However, they are also preparing themselves for the future and that future doesn’t include LeBron James.

Ayton’s deal is team-friendly. It’s consistent with the Lakers’ plan of attack so far, which is to sign short-term deals and avoid contracts that will strain their salary cap situation. This approach played out during negotiations with free agent Dorian Finney-Smith. Finney-Smith wanted to return to the Lakers but he was seeking a four-year deal. The Lakers declined and DFS agreed to terms with the Houston Rockets on a four-year, $53 million deal. The Lakers quickly pivoted to fill the open roster spot, signing wing player Jake LaRavia. The 3-point specialist signed a two-year contract worth around $12 million.

The cost-effective and shorter-term deals put the Lakers in a position to leave the door open in case players like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokic become available. There’s no guarantee that the Greek Freak or Joker will be coming to L.A. shortly, but at least the Lakers are setting themselves up to be in good standing cap-wise for any scenario. This is a savvy business move, and it’s a smart move. This is how Mark Walter, the new majority owner of the Lakers, operated the L.A. Dodgers and that turned out pretty well for the Dodgers.

The Lakers are prioritizing Luka Doncic’s timeline over LeBron James’ timeline. Everything the Lakers have done after LeBron opted into his $52 million deal to play one more year is consistent with the Lakers’ long-term plan — and the master plan revolves around Luka.

There’s a strong indication, based on LeBron’s social media reactions and the messaging from his agent Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, that the Lakers prioritizing Luka over LeBron is something that LeBron and his team are not OK with.

Luka is now wearing the crown and this narrative undercuts the King James brand. You can’t be king if someone else is now wearing the crown. For the first time in LeBron’s career he is no longer in full control of the situation.

LeBron is a brand. He operates on LeBron time. He controls the narrative. He is the face of the player empowerment era that he helped create.

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career. We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive, and want what’s best for him.”

The key part of that statement was: “He wants to make every season he has left count.”

LeBron is in win-now, win-at-all-cost mode for the 2025-26. He doesn’t want to waste any time. He is saying this through his agent Rich Paul.

The Lakers also want to win now, but they’re also preparing for the future. The Lakers and their new majority ownership group headed by Walter are now in full control of the situation, and this is making LeBron and Klutch Sports uneasy. They have never felt this way throughout LeBron’s career.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who knows LeBron better than anyone, suggested that the Lakers are treating LeBron as an expiring contract, which is quite remarkable for someone of LeBron’s caliber. Windhorst said there weren’t any substantive negotiations with the Lakers before James exercised his $52.6 million player option and there were no substantive talks of a contract extension.

Windhorst said: “The Lakers and LeBron, whoever wants to spin their side of the story, I’m not sure what happened, but the Lakers and LeBron did not have substantive discussions about extending his contract, which every team that LeBron’s been on for 20-something years has wanted to have substantive conversations about extending his contract. And what happens to expiring contracts in the NBA? They’re viewed as trade pieces.”

If the 2025-26 season is indeed LeBron’s final year with the Lakers, the past seven years have been a major win for both sides. The Lakers won an NBA title in 2020 and won the inaugural NBA Cup. The Lakers became relevant again after some down years after Kobe Bryant retired. The marriage between the Lakers and LeBron was worth it. And for LeBron, the move to L.A. was a huge success. He was able to carve out a legacy in L.A. He was gifted the opportunity to play with his son, Bronny. He won a title and set the all-time scoring record wearing a Laker jersey. It was a resounding success.

If this is truly LeBron’s final year as a Los Angeles Laker, both sides should be at peace. It was fun while it lasted but now it’s time to move on.

The Lakers are thinking of long-term investment, and the long-term investment starts with Doncic. They can use LeBron’s salary slot to sign players in the 2026 offseason. The Lakers are going about it the right way. They’re not absorbing contracts and signing expensive free agents just to appease LeBron.

Pelinka is operating on a new future timeline. His job is to keep the books to save the team’s salary slot in 2026 and 2027 and prepare for any scenario. L.A. needs to keep that slot open for someone like Giannis, who has yet to sign his extension with the Milwaukee Bucks, and Jokic.

Giannis’ current deal has a player option in 2027 which Giannis could opt out of. If Giannis opts out, then the Lakers can position themselves in the Giannis sweepstakes. It’s a similar situation with Jokic. Joker has three years left on his current deal with the Denver Nuggets, but he has a player option in 2027. If things go sideways in Denver, Jokic can opt. If that happens, the Lakers can position themselves in the Jokic sweepstakes.

A Luka-Giannis pairing or Luka-Jokic pairing would be something the new Lakers ownership group won’t hesitate to pull the trigger on a massive move.

Los Angeles is the entertainment capital of the world. In order to compete in a city full of celebrities, you need a star. The Lakers franchise have been lucky enough to land some of the best players in basketball throughout their storied history. From Wilt Chamberlain to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Magic Johnson to Shaquille O’Neal to Kobe Bryant to LeBron James, the Lakers have had a superstar headliner for the past 50 years.

LeBron is now in the twilight of his phenomenal career. His individual statistics still look good, but he is no longer an elite player. He is 40 years old and his star is slowly fading. The Lakers needed a new box office headliner to lead the Lake Show. Enter Luka Doncic.

ESPN reporter Shams Charania, Adrian Wojnarowski’s protégé, dropped an epic “Woj bomb” shortly after midnight eastern and 9 p.m. L.A. time. The breaking news post said the Dallas Mavericks were trading Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the L.A. Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first round pick.

The post, which was viewed by 81 million users, was so unbelievable that Shams had to immediately do a follow-up post just to let everyone know that he didn’t get hacked. It was real.

The multiplayer blockbuster deal that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers and shipped Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks not only sent shockwaves around the basketball community but it ushered in a seismic shift in L.A. LeBron’s Lake Show residency is expiring soon, and Luka steps in as the new face of the team tasked with keeping the championship window open.

“Luka is a one-of-a-kind, young global superstar who will lead this franchise for years to come. His killer instincts and commitment to winning championships will be a driving force for the team,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said in a statement.

Doncic, who turns 26 this month, is just entering his prime. He’s coming off a season in which he led the NBA in scoring (33.9) and made his first NBA Finals appearance. He was named to the All-NBA first team five times in his seven seasons in Dallas.

Only time will tell if the Lakers’ Luka gamble will pay off and result in an NBA title. Where does the Doncic-for-Davis trade rank in Lakers lore? OMFB examined five blockbuster trades in NBA history involving the Lakers and what were ultimate payoffs.

Lakers traded for Wilt Chamberlain in 1968 — Wilt the Stilt was 31 years old and still in his prime when the Philadelphia 76ers sent him to the Lakers for Darrall Imhoff, Archie Clark, Jerry Chambers and cash. Four years later, the Lakers won an NBA title with Chamberlain teaming up with fellow Hall of Fame Jerry West on a squad considered by many as one of the greatest teams in NBA history. With Chamberlain as the anchor, the Lakers won a record 33 straight games and finished with a then-record 69-13 mark. Bill Sharman’s group capped off the season with a convincing series victory over the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.

Lakers traded for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975 — The Kareem trade altered the fortunes of two franchises. The Milwaukee Bucks, which received Junior Bridgeman, Dave Meyers, Elmore Smith and Brian Winters from L.A., would go more than 50 years before winning their next championship. Meanwhile, the Kareem trade was the foundation of the Lakers’ dynasty in the 1980s. Abdul-Jabbar was named NBA MVP in each of his first two seasons in L.A. and never missed the playoffs in his final 13 seasons. Kareem and Magic Johnson became one of the greatest duos as the pair led the Showtime Lakers to five NBA championships and eight appearances in the NBA Finals in a 10-year span.

Lakers traded Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat in 2004 — One month after losing to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals, the Lakers jettisoned Shaquille O’Neal to Miami for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant, and a future first-round pick which turned out to be guard Jordan Farmar. The Heat clearly won the first half of the trade, winning a title in Shaq’s second year Miami. But the Lakers might have had the last laugh. The first season without Shaq (2004-05) the Lakers went 34-48 and earned a lottery pick, a pick they used to select center Andrew Bynum. Bynum, Odom and Farmar became part of the core group, spearheaded by Kobe, that reached the NBA Finals three straight years and won championships in 2009 and 2010.

Lakers trade for Pau Gasol in 2008 — In one of the most surprising in-season trades in league history, the Lakers swung for the fences and hit a home run by acquiring Spanish big man Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the draft rights to Marc Gasol, and first-round picks in 2008 and 2010. Pau instantly clicked with Kobe, seamlessly fitting in without a hitch. He quickly picked up Phil Jackson’s complicated triangle offense the moment he arrived, and the Lakers went from pretenders to contenders almost overnight. Gasol, Bynum and Odom formed one of the best frontcourts, and the Lakers won 57 games in Gasol’s first four seasons. Gasol, whose No. 16 was retired by the team, will be remembered for his heroic 19-point, 18-rebound performance in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.

Lakers traded for Anthony Davis in 2019 — Prior to the mega deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, the Lakers acquired LeBron James in free agency in the summer of 2018. LeBron wanted an All-Star running mate and he found it in AD. The Lakers gave up a big part of their young talent – Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart – plus three first-round draft picks (one a first-round swap) in order to get AD. But it was worth the gamble. The Lakers went on to win the NBA title in 2020 inside the Disney World bubble in Davis’ first full season teaming up with LeBron. Davis’ six years in L.A. was a mixed bag. He played in only 132 games from 2021-23 due to an assortment of injuries. When he’s healthy, he was outstanding. He played a career-high 76 games in 2023-24, a season the Lakers won the inaugural NBA Cup, and made second team All-NBA.

Moments after helping the Boston Celtics capture the franchise’s 18th NBA championship banner, Jaylen Brown was awarded the Bill Russell trophy after being named the most valuable player of the NBA Finals. Brown graciously accepted the trophy from commissioner Adam Silver. Then, he gave a thoughtful and self-effacing remark.

“I share this with my brothers and my partner in crime Jayson Tatum,” said Brown, who has been playing alongside Tatum for seven seasons in Boston and both have absorbed a ton of criticism following three losses in the conference finals, including last year’s disappointing Game 7 loss at TD Garden to the Miami Heat.

“These last seven years have been a roller coaster, up and down. I had to listen to all the s*** that people said about me,” Tatum said.

Celtics general manager Brad Stevens had full faith in the resolve of his two superstars. He trusted that they’ll rebound from the playoff loss to the Heat and come back the following year with a vengeance. And they sure did.

Tatum and Brown played the entire 2023-24 season with massive chips on their shoulders and took out all their frustrations on the rest of the league. The Celtics blitzed through the regular season with a league-best 64 wins and lost just three games in the postseason.

“We’ve been through a lot, the losses, the expectations,” Brown told reporters. “The media have said all different types of things: We can’t play together, we are never going to win. We heard it all. But we just blocked it out, and we just kept going. I trusted him. He trusted me. And we did it together.”

Every championship team over the last four decades have had a great 1-2 punch. Tatum and Brown are the latest dynamic duo to etch their names on basketball lore. Where do Tatum and Brown rank on OneManFastBreak’s annual top-five list? Take a look at this year’s OMFB Furious Five.

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Each year OneManFastBreak.net ranks the five best players in the NBA. The OMFB Furious Five pays homage to the five styles of Chinese martial arts: snake, crane, monkey, praying mantis, and tiger.

The ranking system is based on one man’s opinion and does not follow or conform to any standard format, with more emphasis placed on how each player and their respective teams performed in the postseason. Stars are born during the regular season, but legends are made in the playoffs.

In 2023, OMFB’s Furious Five featured Jimmy Butler (5), Stephen Curry (4), Joel Embiid (3), Giannis Antetokounmpo (2), Nikola Jokic (1).

Without further ado, here are the five best basketball players in the world.

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5-JAYLEN BROWN
Boston Celtics, Guard-Forward

Brown wasn’t named to the All-NBA team or the All-Defensive team during the 2023-24 season. Think about that for a minute. The MVP of the 2024 NBA Finals and Eastern Conference finals MVP wasn’t voted on first-team, second-team or third-team All-NBA. Also, he was not named to first-team or second-team All-Defense.

To say that it was a snub was a major understatement. Brown is without a doubt one of the best two-way players in the NBA. He belongs in the top 15 on offense and top 10 on defense. He left little doubt about his status with one of the all-time great performances in the 2024 playoffs.

Against the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals, Brown averaged 29.8 points in the Celtics’ four-game sweep. Brown hit the series-defining shot in Game 1 when he drained a corner 3-pointer to send the game into overtime where Boston took control. From that point, the Pacers could never regain control of the series.

Against the Mavericks in the NBA Finals, Brown took on the defensive challenge of guarding the Dallas Mavericks’ all-world point guard Luka Doncic. He made Doncic earn every point and held the league’s best playmaker to 5.6 assists and 24% shooting from 3-point range. Brown could have easily gloated in front of the media when he had the mic during the postgame Finals pressers. But he took the high road and let his performances speak for themselves.

4-GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO
Milwaukee Bucks, Forward

A calf strain forced Giannis Antetokounmpo to watch his Bucks get eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs.

The two-time NBA MVP felt that he let his teammates down by not being on the court as the Pacers took full advantage of a Giannis-less Bucks squad and won the series in six games. Giannis vowed to do everything in his power to get his body right for the next season.

Antetokounmpo told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that missing the final 22 days of the Bucks season was one of the more difficult stretches of his 11-year career.

“I was trying to push myself and push myself and push myself to get to a place where maybe I can’t check the boxes, but maybe I can even go out there and help, but in our opinion it was not safe for me to be out there because I couldn’t run full speed,” Antetokounmpo said.

Prior to his injury, Giannis put together another outstanding season, averaging 30.4 points while shooting 61.1% from the field. The Bucks remain one of the top teams in the East, but they need a healthy Giannis to compete for a championship.

3-LUKA DONCIC
Dallas Mavericks, Guard

Doncic had one of best season’s of his young career, leading the league in scoring (33.9), finishing third in the MVP voting, and authoring the signature moment of the regular season when he dropped 73 points against the Atlanta Hawks. It was the fourth-highest point total in NBA history and trails only Wilt Chamberlain (100 and 78) and Kobe Bryant (81).

Luka was the driving force behind the Mavericks’ impressive run to the NBA Finals. It was the franchise’s first appearance in the Finals since Dirk Nowitzki led them there in 2011.

But Doncic’s body couldn’t hold up through the entire playoff grind as he physically struggled down the stretch with a plethora of injuries. He received a pain-killing injection ahead of Game 2 in the Finals and played through much of the playoffs with a sprained knee.

Doncic didn’t make any excuses when he was asked about his ailments.

“It doesn’t matter if I was hurt, how much was I hurt,” he told reporters following Dallas’ 106-88 loss in Game 5 at TD Garden. “I was out there. I tried to play, but I didn’t do enough.”

Some of basketball’s greatest players, including Nowitzki, lost the first time they made the NBA Finals. Nowitzki lost to the Miami Heat in 2006, but learned from that loss and got over the hump in 2011. Doncic will certainly take the painful lessons from his Finals loss and learn from them when he gets another shot. He understands that he has to stop complaining to the referees, play better defense, and get in better shape.

2-JAYSON TATUM
Boston Celtics, Forward

Tatum let his emotions pour out after the Celtics won the NBA title. He understood what it meant for him being the face of a storied franchise. He can now join the table reserved for Celtics greats such as Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, Larry Bird, and Kevin Garnett. Winning an NBA title was a career-defining accomplishment for Tatum. “All the sacrifice was worth it,” he told reporters.

Tatum is generally known for his ability to put the ball in the basket. And he’s darn good at it. But critics were quick to point out his flaws after losing to Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals and to Jimmy Butler’s Miami Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals. Many pundits started doubting Tatum’s ability to lead a team and be able to handle the pressure of being a superstar. Even Mavericks coach Jason Kidd took a swipe at Tatum by telling reporters that Jaylen Brown was the Celtics’ best player.

Tatum absorbed all the blows and kept on grinding. He added layers to game to become more of a complete player. His play-making skills were on full display during the 2024 NBA Finals. Despite struggling from the field (38.8%), he impacted the game in multiple ways. He led Boston in rebounds (7.8) and assists (7.2), and took on the challenge of defending his position as the team’s primary 4-man.

“I think he makes everyone’s life easier,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said about Tatum. “One because of who he is as a person, the type of character he has. I think your franchise player has to be a cornerstone of what you do. It starts with his high character, just the way he carries himself as a person, as a dad, as a teammate.”

Tatum may not have collected any hardware during the 2023-24 season, but doesn’t need trophies to prove his greatness. He was Boston’s best player all season, leading team in scoring (26.9) and rebounding (8.1). Tatum could have easily been named Eastern Conference finals MVP after averaging 30.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists in sweeping the Pacers. By comparison, Brown averaged 29.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

Tatum became the sixth player since 1980 to lead his team in points, rebounds and assists in the playoffs while winning a title. The other five were Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, and Nikola Jokic. That’s some pretty good company there.

And now, the No. 1 player in the world. Drum roll please . . .

1-NIKOLA JOKIC
Denver Nuggets, Center

Nikola Jokic has been so consistently brilliant that he could have easily been named MVP four straight years. The known as The Joker won his third regular-season MVP in four years, becoming just the ninth player in NBA history to win at least three MVPs, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan (five), Bill Russell (five), Wilt Chamberlain (four), LeBron James (four), Larry Bird (three), Magic Johnson (three) and Moses Malone (three).

Jokic ranked 10th in points (26.4), fourth in rebounds (12.4) and third in assists (9.0) while missing just three regular season games. He became the second player to have at least 2,000 points, 900 rebounds and 700 assists in a season, joining Oscar Robertson who pulled off the feat in 1962.

Behind the Serbian big man, the Denver Nuggets won 57 wins and earned the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. In a highly anticipated matchup against LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the first round of the playoffs, Nuggets eliminated the L.A. Lakers in five games with Jokic averaging nearly a triple-double (28.2 points, 16.2 rebounds, 9.8 points). The Jokic-Davis matchup pitted the league’s best offensive weapon against the league’s best defender. Even though the series went just five games, it shaved plenty of skin off the Nuggets.

In the conference semifinals, the Nuggets were stretched to the limit by the upstart Minnesota Timberwolves. The T-Wolves pulled off the improbable, winning Game 7 on Denver’s home court. Jokic did all he could to push the Nuggets forward, but he simply ran out of gas and got worn down by Minnesota’s trio of big men. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said his team looked “dead tired” and blamed fatigue for blowing a double-digit lead in Game 7 against the T-Wolves. The Nuggets’ starting unit of Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Jokic played 958 minutes together in the regular season. That’s more than any other five-man lineup in the last six NBA seasons.

Time will tell where Jokic will land on the list of the greats. If his career ended today, his legacy is secure and his spot in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is nearly guaranteed. He now wears the crown once held by Kareem, Russell, Wilt, Moses, Hakeem, Shaq, and Duncan as the game’s best and most dominant big man.

But Springfield can wait. The Joker still has plenty of greatness left in him, and he’s far from satisfied winning just one championship.