Fitter and hungrier, Luka Doncic embraces his new life before his first full season opener with Lakers
EL SEGUNDO, California: Although Luka Doncic has always loved the ocean, he had never lived in a coastal city until this year. Ljubljana, Slovenia; Madrid; and Dallas are all fine stopovers on the journey of a transcendent basketball player, but they’re not exactly near the beach.
A water view is not the biggest reason Doncic is embracing his new life with the Los Angeles Lakers, but the past year has reminded him to enjoy every opportunity when he gets it.
Over the summer, he reportedly bought a $25 million Manhattan Beach mansion that used to belong to tennis star Maria Sharapova. Doncic says he mostly stays home with his fiancee and daughter when he isn’t working — and now he has a home on the edge of the sparkling Pacific.
“The ocean is my favorite thing, and the beach,” he said during training camp. “I’m a big water guy. Everywhere I played, I never got to experience the ocean, so now it’s great.”
The past nine months of upheaval in Doncic’s life have left the Slovenian superstar unbothered, but also refocused on the things that are most important to him — and basketball is still atop that list.
“I think I had a great summer, and I really have a fresh mind now,” Doncic said. “So it all starts again.”
After a summer of well-documented fitness gains and international hoops success, Doncic begins his first full season with the Lakers on Tuesday night when they host Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
Everyone could see Doncic was slimmer and faster in his two preseason appearances this month for the Lakers, who brought him back to full game fitness cautiously after his busy summer at EuroBasket. Doncic says he made his physical changes largely with conditioning exercises, not diet changes — but he’s