The Los Angeles Lakers kick off the 2026 NBA regular season with a Wednesday night ESPN matchup against the Golden State Warriors. Both teams draw plenty of intrigue, but the revamped Lakers roster and LeBron James's departure this past offseason are two of several reasons the Lakers will be under the microscope this year.
One thing is clear: this is now what most would call "Luka Doncic's team" after James's departure. Doncic, Austin Reaves, and newly acquired Walker Kessler will be the centerpieces, and the 27-year-old superstar sent a message to the Lakers' entire fanbase ahead of Wednesday's opener.
As The Athletic's Dan Woike revealed, Doncic placed a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times that began, "Tonight we start our run for a championship."
A full page ad from Luka Dončić is in today’s LA Times pic.twitter.com/7KbUydvYL1
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) October 21, 2026
Doncic praised the fanbase for its passion while calling this Lakers group "a special team." He continued by making a promise to the fanbase that the team will "give you everything we have, every single night. No excuses. No nights off."
Doncic's lone request? For the "best fans in the world" to "bring it" with the Lakers players on a nightly basis.
It's hard not to love Doncic's move, especially as he enters a season when he's the clear-cut face of the Lakers franchise. The fanbase should be in attendance in full force on Wednesday night for a home game against Steph Curry and company, so we'll see how good this new-look Lakers group is out of the gate this season.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Luka Doncic hypes up Lakers fans with full-page ad before opener: 'No nights off'
