With Luka Doncic already in his home country for the offseason, almost the entire LA Lakers roster set off for Slovenia this week to join the face of the franchise amid unfolding ownership drama.
The Lakers’ account posted photos of players departing an LA-area tarmac Wednesday with the caption:
Thanks for the submission!
“Lakers are headed to Ljubljana.”
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The six-time All-Star is hosting the full roster for a four-day minicamp running from Thursday to Monday. Everyone is excited for the trip, from Austin Reaves to newcomers like Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton.
However, rookie Cameron Carr is reportedly the only player skipping the trip due to a scheduling conflict with the NBA’s mandatory rookie transition program, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
This marks the first time Doncic has hosted a player-led minicamp in Slovenia. Before leaving for the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency, LeBron James used to organize similar offseason camps in Las Vegas. Those player-run camps historically served as a key opportunity for younger players to build team chemistry and catch the coaching staff’s attention early.
Lakers fans are excited about the trip, but many reacted with mixed feelings about the roster heading into the 2026–27 season.
One fan wrote, “Vando and DK and LaRavia still hre i’m so done.”
More reactions followed.
Many in the Lakers community speculated this offseason that Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht and Jake LaRavia would be traded or waived to rebuild the roster around Luka Doncic. But the team kept all three. So, seeing them on the flight to Slovenia sparked mixed reactions online.
Inside Luka Doncic’s player-led bonding trip to Slovenia
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne shared that Luka Doncic personally planned the entire trip for his teammates, starting with a chartered private plane for roughly 14 people departing from Los Angeles.
“On the plane, there are gift bags. I think when they get to the hotel, there are going to be more gift bags, and there are all sorts of cool Slovenian things,” she said.
“It’s like a bachelorette trip. Then, they’re going to go to Luka’s favorite restaurant, and they’re going to go fishing on Lake Bled, which is a fancy lake there. I guarantee there’s some golf involved at some point. There’s going to be bonding.”
With LeBron James gone to Philadelphia, Luka Doncic is the main guy in charge now. Picking up the tab for this whole luxury trip is how he’s establishing himself as the leader before training camp even starts.
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Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein