The Los Angeles Lakers welcome the Luka Dončić era Wednesday night.
The No. 4-ranked player in USA TODAY Sports' preseason rankings enters his second full season in L.A. since being traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers during the 2024-2025 campaign.
While he has worked his way into the hearts of Lakers fans, he has also been riding shotgun to LeBron James, L.A.'s previous resident superstar. With LeBron in Philadelphia, this is now fully Dončić's team. To that end, the 27-year-old is doing and writing the right things.
"Dear LA, Tonight we start our run for a championship," Doncic wrote in a full-page ad he took out in the L.A. Times on Wednesday. "Every player dreams of holding that trophy. To do it for all of you amazing fans would
mean everything to us. Each of us understands what it means to put on this purple and gold jersey and follow the players who wore it before us. It means so much because of the passion and dedication that generations of you all have shown for this team."
Luka Doncic welcomes new era of Lakers basketball
Luka Doncic has reason to be optimistic, though clear questions remain about how this overhauled roster will compete in a stacked Western Conference.
The team has a genuine presence down low in the form of Walker Kessler and versatile talents who should play well alongside Doncic such as Quentin Grimes and Sandro Mamukelashvili.
"From the moment I arrived in LA, you welcomed me with open arms," Doncic continued. "That is something I will never forget.
"So here is my promise to you: we are going to give you everything we have, every single night. No excuses. No nights off. But we cannot do this alone. You are the best fans in the world, and we are going to need you. Every game, bring it with us. Let's go."
Doncic will build off another productive season wherein he averaged 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game.
While the Lakers won an NBA championship in 2020 with James, there has always been debate over how LeBron fits among the franchise's greatest players.
Dončić is now the face of the team. Whether his jersey one day hangs from the rafters or a statue is erected outside the arena is dependent on wins, titles, and how he resonates with fans.
On Wednesday, the Lakers superstar took a step toward declaring this his era of purple-and-gold basketball.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luka Doncic ushers in new Lakers era: 'We start our run for a championship'
