Luka Doncic Breaks Silence After Signing $165M Max Extension With Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

After weeks of speculation about the future of point guard Luka Doncic, the 26-year-old superstar put an end to all of the speculation about how committed he is to the Lakers by agreeing to a new max contract with the team on Saturday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

“BREAKING: Los Angeles Lakers All-NBA star Luka Doncic has signed a three-year, $165 million maximum contract extension with the franchise, with a player option in 2028, agent Bill Duffy of WME Basketball told ESPN,” Charania wrote.

Though Doncic, who won’t hit free agency next season, missed out on a lucrative $345 million supermax with the Dallas Mavericks because of the trade that sent him to L.A. back in early February (players can only earn supermax contracts with the teams that drafted or acquired them in their first four seasons), he can cash in on a $417 million max extension in 2028.

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Moments after his deal was announced, Doncic took to social media to announce the news himself.

“I just signed my extension with the Lakers,” Doncic wrote on X. “Excited to keep working to bring championships to LA and make Laker Nation proud. Grateful to the Lakers, my teammates and all the fans who’ve shown so much love since day one. This is just the beginning. 💜💛.”

Doncic also announced that he plans to use part of his new fortune to help underprivileged athletes.

“Today I’m also committing $5 million to help 77 young athletes around the world chase their dreams, just like I did,” Doncic added. “Basketball gave me everything, and I’m lucky to be able to give back and help the next generation.”

With LeBron James exercising his $52.6 million player option, the Lakers are seemingly all-in on next season (both James and Austin Reaves will become free agents in 2026) after locking up Doncic for four more years plus signing center Deandre Ayton to a two-year, $16.2 million contract and guard Marcus Smart to a two-year, $11 million deal.

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Many believe 20205 will be James’ last season with the Lakers. It’s been reported he felt less of a priority to the team as it plans to build around Doncic, making him the new face of the franchise.

“James understood the Lakers taking advantage of an opportunity to pivot to the younger superstar,” ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst reported. “But from James’ perspective, sources said, nuance was sometimes lost during the transition.

“…The Lakers had already made their statement in not offering James a contract beyond this season. It was abundantly clear that the 21-time All-Star’s time as the face of the Lakers had, for the first time, a planned end date, even if James’ record-setting NBA career did not yet.”