Luka Dončić enters his third season with the Los Angeles Lakers as the unquestioned star and leader.
He will take on a bigger role after LeBron James, the most recent star to bring a championship to the franchise and the longtime face of the NBA, left for the Philadelphia 76ers.
"It feels great," Dončić said about his role for the upcoming season. "Obviously it’s a new challenge. I was in this position in my career a lot of times, so it’s not new to me. But I feel great. I feel excited. I’m ready to go. It’s been a long time since I played basketball, so I’m ready."
Dončić closed out the 2025-26 season as the scoring champion after averaging 33.5 points per game. It was his second career scoring title. Dončić stacked his resume as a six-time All-NBA
Player, six-time All-Star and the 2018-2019 Rookie of the Year.
Dončić's accomplishments and achievements are why he was ranked No. 4 on USA Today's top 100 player rankings ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The guard still has a lot to play for and has the opportunity to become the face of the NBA.
How can Luka Dončić become the face of the NBA?
Dončić still has several attainable milestones to achieve during his career.
The most notable is winning an NBA championship.
Dončić has proven he has what it takes to be a franchise star that leads a team to the NBA Finals. He took the Dallas Mavericks to the title series to end the 2023-24 season. The Boston Celtics went on to beat the Mavericks 4-1.
He could also win his first regular-season MVP award.
Dončić's highest career finish in MVP voting came at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.
He nearly averaged a triple-double but finished third behind Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Dončić averaged 33.9 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.2 rebounds per game. He was traded to Los Angeles the following season. He finished fourth in the voting last season behind Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic and Victor Wembanyama.
All three players ranked ahead of Dončić in USA Today's top 100 player rankings.
Where do other Lakers rank among top 100?
With Dončić serving as the focal point of the Lakers' roster for the upcoming season, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and the front office used the offseason to build around him.
The Lakers made a trade for Walker Kessler and re-signed Austin Reaves to a $185-million contract to help create a foundation alongside Dončić this offseason.
Reaves ranked No. 32 on USA Today's top 100 player rankings. Kessler was ranked No. 76.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can Lakers' unquestioned star Luka Dončić step up to be face of NBA?
