Luka Doncic and his decision to bring his Lakers teammates to Slovenia appears to have made quite the impression on Jarred Vanderbilt.
The Lakers recently returned from a four-day minicamp in Doncic’s home country, where players mixed basketball with team-building activities ahead of the new season.
Vanderbilt enjoyed the experience so much that he’s now joking about taking his connection to Slovenia one step further.
“The trip was great,” Vanderbilt said. “Not gonna lie, didn’t know much about [Slovenia] before I came here, but it’s definitely a spot I will revisit.
“I’m looking to get Slovenian passport. We’ll see. Might be part Slovenian.”
The minicamp was organized and hosted by Doncic, with Lakers players working out and playing pickup basketball while also spending time golfing and exploring Ljubljana, according to the California Post.
Beyond giving the players a chance to enjoy Slovenia, the trip provided an early opportunity for a dramatically different Lakers roster to develop chemistry.
Los Angeles enters the season without LeBron James after the franchise icon departed for the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. That leaves Doncic as the clear centerpiece of the Lakers and places even more responsibility on the 27-year-old to lead the franchise.
The Lakers have also reshaped the roster around him, adding Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes and Sandro Mamukelashvili during the offseason.
Getting the group together before official training camp offered Doncic and his teammates a chance to establish relationships away from the pressure that comes with playing in Los Angeles.
The trip also came during a major period of change off the court. Mark Walter recently sold the Lakers to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner in a deal valuing the franchise at $12.5 billion.
For Doncic, however, the immediate focus is on leading the Lakers into their next era.
Hosting the team in Slovenia was one of his first major displays of leadership since becoming the undisputed face of the franchise, and Vanderbilt’s reaction suggests the trip achieved exactly what Doncic would have hoped.
The real test will come when the Lakers reconvene for training camp next month and begin preparing for their first season built completely around Doncic.
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