LeBron James is the kind of guy who throws himself into something new and suddenly it’s his whole personality. The latest offseason fixation? Golf. And apparently, it’s gotten intense enough that his new Lakers teammate Luka Doncic has thoughts on it.
Doncic sat down with Slovenian outlet 24ur.com and was asked about hitting the links with LeBron. The two have played a few times, though Doncic admitted it’s harder now that they’re not living close to each other. But when he described what the game means to him, it was surprisingly sincere for a 25-year-old superstar who spends most of his life in sneakers and a jersey.
“You’re in nature 4 hours, sometimes even 8 hours. I play 36 holes, which they say is not smart, but I still play it… You’re in nature, no phone, peace. Something most beautiful,” Doncic said, via Luka Updates on X.
It’s a nice look at a side of Doncic we don’t usually see. The guy who torches defenses and yells at refs also apparently loves walking around in the sun for eight hours without checking his phone. That’s almost meditative for a pro athlete whose every move gets analyzed.
As for LeBron, he’s been all over social media posting his golf swings. Some are smooth. Some are not. He also recently teed it up with a handful of his old 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers teammates to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of that legendary Finals comeback against the Warriors. Those guys don’t let an anniversary slip by without some kind of reunion, and golf seems to be the preferred bonding activity these days.
The timing is interesting because the Lakers are clearly in a weird transition. They’ve got LeBron at 40 years old facing a player option this summer. Some people think he might leave. Others think he’ll stay but on a cheaper deal. The Lakers already pivoted hard toward Doncic as the franchise guy going forward, which makes sense given the age difference and the fact that Doncic is under contract for the foreseeable future.
But building around Doncic isn’t simple. The roster needs shooting. It needs perimeter defense. It needs frontcourt depth that doesn’t crumble when Anthony Davis sits. Some analysts have argued that the only way to fix that is for LeBron to either move on or take a significant pay cut. And then there’s the Austin Reaves situation, with some pundits worried about Los Angeles committing big money to him long-term.
A lot of that will get sorted out in the coming weeks. In the meantime, LeBron is out there chasing pars and posting them to Instagram. And Luka is apparently out there playing 36 holes because he can’t put his phone down in nature. Which honestly? That’s pretty relatable.
Leave a Comment