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HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 18: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates with teammates after making a three pointer in the fourth quarter of the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on March 18, 2026 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) Getty
A fabricated Luka Dončić quote made its way around social media this week, falsely suggesting the Los Angeles Lakers star believes his team is better equipped to win after LeBron James’ departure.
Dan Woike, who covers the Lakers for The Athletic, shut it down emphatically.
“This is 10000 percent false and not something that Luka said or something that appeared in The Athletic,” Woike wrote on X.
The post Woike challenged attributed a lengthy statement to Dončić in which he supposedly praised James before claiming the reworked Lakers had better balance and “a better chance to compete at the highest level and ultimately win.” It tagged The Athletic despite the quote never appearing in the publication.
Woike later encouraged readers to block or report accounts spreading manufactured material, writing that they make “a very hard job even tougher.”
The force of the correction mattered because the fake quote sounded polished enough to travel. It mixed recognizable NBA language with a conclusion designed to provoke James’ supporters and frame Dončić as celebrating his former teammate’s exit.
There is no evidence Dončić said any of it.
What Luka Dončić Actually Said About LeBron James
Dončić’s real response after James left the Lakers for the Philadelphia 76ers was considerably shorter and warmer.
“An honor to play with and learn from you @kingjames,” Dončić wrote on Instagram alongside a photograph of the two embracing.
That message aligned with everything Dončić had said publicly about James since arriving in Los Angeles in February 2025. At his introductory Lakers news conference, Dončić called playing with James “a dream come true” and said he had always looked up to him.
James welcomed Dončić immediately after the blockbuster trade with Dallas. He later called Dončić his favorite NBA player and pushed for the younger star to be introduced last in the Lakers’ starting lineup, a symbolic gesture traditionally reserved for the face of the team.
Their time together lasted roughly a season and a half. It did not produce a championship, but reporting about their relationship never supported the idea that Dončić pushed James out.
Woike previously reported that league sources familiar with both stars insisted there were no personal issues between them. The two also remained in contact away from basketball and shared an interest in golf. Dončić said they had played together once or twice.
Lakers Moved From LeBron to Luka Era
That does not mean their partnership was uncomplicated.
The Lakers acquired Dončić without consulting James and sent Anthony Davis, one of James’ closest friends, to Dallas. Dončić became the organization’s long-term centerpiece while James entered the final stage of his career.
Those circumstances created basketball and organizational questions, but they should not be rewritten as personal hostility.
James’ exit placed the Lakers firmly in Dončić’s hands. The franchise has since built its roster around the 27-year-old, hoping greater shooting, defense and athleticism can support his playmaking.
Whether this Lakers team is better will be settled on the court. Dončić never used James’ departure to declare it so.
The fake quote supplied the controversy social media wanted. His actual words conveyed respect for a teammate he had long admired.
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This article was originally published on HEAVY
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