Lakers superstar Luka Dončić hosted a minicamp in Slovenia for his teammates, covering all expenses including travel costs. The event included various activities such as basketball games, golfing, boat rides, fishing trips, and dinners at local restaurants. Teammates wrote heartfelt thank-you notes to Dončić upon their return, expressing gratitude for the experience and recognizing its significance in building team chemistry. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka highlighted how these personal touches can positively influence the team's dynamics during challenging times of the season.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-25,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Luka Dončić, a top-four player in the NBA, recently hosted a minicamp in Slovenia for his new teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers, aiming to build team chemistry and deepen personal connections. The trip included activities like playing basketball, golf, dining at favorite restaurants, fishing, visiting Lake Bled, and going to nightclubs. Each player wrote handwritten notes thanking Dončić for his generosity and hospitality. General manager Rob Pelinka highlighted the significance of the experience, noting that it was meaningful for teammates to be treated in such a way by their superstar. Dončić’s decision to host the camp also allowed him to spend time with his two daughters, who live in Slovenia with their mother, while helping the team adjust to having nine new players on the roster.
Written for “Luka Doncic Mini Camp” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
It means something when your superstar shows real care.
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superstar → mean → care
For the first time in his career, Luka Dončić hosted a minicamp in Slovenia.
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Dončić → host → Slovenia
He paid for his Lakers teammates to come to his home country.
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teammates → pay → country
He wanted them to better understand him.
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them → want → him
He wanted to create chemistry.
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He → want → chemistry
They spent their days playing basketball and golf.
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They → spend → basketball
They went on a boat on Lake Bled.
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They → go → Bled
They went fishing.
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They → go → ?
They went to Dončić’s favorite restaurants.
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They → go → restaurants
They went to a nightclub.
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They → go → nightclub
Dončić’s generosity deeply resonated with his teammates.
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generosity → resonate → teammates
“At the end of the trip, each player took the time to write a handwritten note and then present it to Luka to thank him,” Rob Pelinka, Lakers general manager and president of basketball operations, said Thursday in his first media availability since last season ended.
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season → take → availability
Pelinka recounted hearing how Collin Sexton was awestruck by the experience.
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Sexton → recount → experience
“I think at one point Collin Sexton stood up and was like, ‘Look at where we are,'” Pelinka said.
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Pelinka → think → point
“There are a lot of people that never get to come overseas and experience [this].
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that → be → this
This is amazing, and someone’s treating us to it.'
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someone → treat → it
”
It’s no secret that the Lakers’ brass are expecting the trip to have positive reverberations.
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trip → ’ → reverberations
He carved out part of his summer to spend time with his teammates.
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He → carve → teammates
He paid big money, including chartering a plane for them.
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He → pay → them
These types of things can have a huge impact, especially when times get tough during a season.
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times → have → season
The Lakers already have inside jokes.
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Lakers → have → jokes
They shared a unique experience.
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They → share → experience
They learned about their superstar, understanding him on a much deeper level.
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They → learn → level
“I think that’ll be part of how we come together as a team,” Pelinka said.
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Pelinka → think → team
Lakers coach JJ Redick echoed that.
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Redick → echo → that
Redick was in Europe the week before the minicamp and spent 48 hours with Doncic, playing 72 holes of golf.
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Redick → spend → golf
“I could tell how excited he was and how much thought he put into that trip,” Redick said.
uncertain
Redick → tell → trip
“And the guys all just enjoyed it.”
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guys → enjoy → it
Redick said the Lakers assistant coaches who attended the minicamp relayed to him that the players “were very interested in Ljubljana and Slovenia and the Alps and Lake Bled and were asking questions.”
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players → say → questions
“That was a great team-building exercise,” Redick added.
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Redick → add → ?
The minicamp couldn’t have been better-timed considering the Lakers completely overhauled their roster after LeBron James left in free agency.
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James → time → agency
And he wants to win a championship now.
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he → want → championship
Dončić led the league in scoring last season (33.5 points) and was third in assists (8.3) before suffering a strained hamstring that sidelined him for the postseason.
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that → lead → postseason
Next season, he hopes to help them compete for their first title since 2020.
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them → hop → 2020
Doncic had his fingerprints over a lot of the Lakers’ offseason moves, including re-signing Austin Reaves and acquiring Walker Kessler.
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Doncic → have → Kessler
Pelinka believes his partnership with Doncic could have a major impact on the team’s success.
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partnership → believe → success
“When you can co-create something that’s powerful with a star like Luka and retrofit a team around him, then there’s buy-in,” Pelinka said.
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Pelinka → co → him
“We love those roundtable discussions where ideas are shared.
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ideas → love → discussions
Ultimately, I’ll do my job to make the final decision.
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I → do → decision
But to get the input of a basketball savant like him, who sees the game at such a high level, Luka is the world’s greatest offensive player.”
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Luka → get → level
The Aporia
