Following a blockbuster trade that brought Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, the international star is preparing for his first full season with the team. Ahead of the team’s season opener this month, Luka also shared some exciting news off the field with his fans.
In a video uploaded to the Luka Doncic Foundation Instagram page, he shared the significant honor he received. The multi-time NBA All-Star has been selected to be one of the ambassadors for next year’s World Cup.
“I’m proud to be a World Cup ambassador in Los Angeles,” Luka shared in his statement, adding: “The World Cup is the biggest sporting event, so I’m very excited.”
In addition to Los Angeles, next year’s FIFA World Cup will host venues in other U.S. cities, as well as Mexico and Canada. Besides Luka, Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson and Los Angeles Galaxy star Cobi Jones are among the ambassadors for next year’s World Cup.
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Luka noted that he has watched football since he was a child and continues to watch it, before sharing some thoughts on the city he currently represents in the NBA. He described Los Angeles as a “very nice city” with “a lot of culture,” making it an ideal place to host the FIFA World Cup.
“Sport can bring the best out of people. At the World Cup, everyone comes together to watch the best players play for their country,” he said.
Without a doubt, Luka is among the best players in his country and the United States. In addition to his role as an ambassador for Los Angeles as they host the World Cup, he also plays an important role with the Lakers as they begin the NBA season.
The team received some bad news as NBA superstar LeBron James is out for weeks with a glute injury. Luka will look to lead the team in his absence, which makes sense since he’s supposed to lead them once LeBron retires, which some say could happen after this season, or soon after.
Luka is already showing that he is ready to step up his efforts. During the offseason, he committed to improving his fitness so he could bring more of his talents to the Lakers. During his offseason, he also represented Slovenia, and he impressed during the team’s participation in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 tournament.
This apparently carried over into his early performances in preseason games. Earlier this week, Luka faced the Phoenix Suns, finishing with 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 22 minutes.
The team will officially open its season with a game against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, October 21, where Luka will look to continue to show NBA fans and the world why he is among the best in his sport.
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