When Lakers owner Jeanie Buss appeared on the Stephen A. Smith Show on SiriusXM, she did not just talk about Luka Doncic; she framed her connection to the team’s new franchise player through one of the most personal moments in Lakers history.

“I have a soft spot in my heart for him because the last time I saw Kobe alive was about a month before he passed away at the Lakers-Dallas game with Gigi, because Luka Doncic was Gigi’s favorite player,” Buss said. “I know that Kobe would be excited that he’s now a Laker and will continue to lead this franchise into the foreseeable future.”

The statement immediately tied Luka Doncic’s arrival in Los Angeles to a memory Buss had held privately since January 2020. Kobe and Gianna Bryant attended that Lakers-Mavericks game knowing their daughter idolized the young Slovenian, and now the very same player carries the franchise’s future.

Jeanie Buss also spoke about what Doncic’s presence has meant commercially and competitively. “I knew he was a great player, an All-Star, but the fact that he joins the Lakers and immediately becomes the number one selling jersey in the NBA, that he led the league in scoring,” she said. “He’s a winner. He wants to win.”

When Luka Doncic first met Buss after the trade, he reportedly told her he wished Kobe had been there to see it. That mutual respect for the franchise’s history, running in both directions, has become a defining thread of how the organization frames his arrival.

Having said that, the emotional weight of Buss’ comments arrives against a backdrop of uncertainty about when Doncic will actually take the court again.

Luka Doncic Return Timeline Becomes Central Question for Los Angeles Lakers

To the uninformed, Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain on April 2 in Oklahoma City, missing the final stretch of the regular season.

The star hooper then traveled to Spain for specialized stem cell and PRP treatment to accelerate his recovery, and returned to Los Angeles on April 18, the day of Game 1. Luka Doncic was seen on the bench as the Lakers defeated the Rockets 107-98 without him.

Furthermore, coach JJ Redick has listed Doncic out indefinitely, declining to offer a firm date.

That being said, the standard recovery window for a Grade 2 hamstring strain runs three to six weeks, which would likely rule him out for the full first round under a conservative timeline.

Medical experts have flagged the re-injury risk as significant, and the Lakers are unlikely to rush him back unless the series really demands it.

Parallely, Austin Reaves, who was sidelined with a Grade 2 oblique strain from the same date, faces a similar four-to-six-week window.

However, those in Luka Doncic’s circle have not ruled out a return for Game 3 on April 24 or Game 4 on April 26, both in Houston, though a minutes restriction would accompany any early return.

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Written by

Hetal Moleshri

Edited by

Arvind Rao