Luka Dončić praises LeBron James after snubbing him in Men’s Health feature

Amid speculation over tension brewing between LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers and Luka Dončić, maybe their relationship isn’t fractured after all.

Dončić was the talk of the NBA on Monday, after Men’s Health released a feature depicting his recommitment to conditioning and fitness. And while everyone previously assumed James was the perfect teammate to get Dončić in shape, he was noticeably absent from the Men’s Health article.

The feature is about Dončić, not LeBron. He doesn’t owe his new teammate anything. But even while discussing his renewed focus on staying in shape, mentioning James seemed like an easy opportunity for a shoutout. Instead, Dončić credited Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.

“MJ and Kobe, you know, they really did a lot in their careers,” Dončić told Men’s Health. “They sacrificed a lot.”

MJ and Kobe did do a lot in their careers, but omitting LeBron James and all of his career accomplishments from that comment was sort of glaring.

But later Monday night, Luka Dončić would go on to temper concerns about his relationship with. After the Men’s Health feature published, Dončić was in New York for the Jordan Brand Tour where he made a stop at Yankee Stadium and their TV booth. During the visit, play-by-play voice Michael Kay asked Dončić about playing with James last season.

“It was an amazing experience,” Dončić said. “I always looked up to him, the way he approaches the game, his professionalism. So, when I came, he accepted me with open arms, and it was just amazing to be his teammate.”

Recent reports have suggested the Lakers shifted organizational power from James to Dončić as they pivot toward building around the younger superstar. Those reports have also suggested James is taking the pivot personally and might be ready to leave Los Angeles altogether, despite exercising his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season with the Lakers last month.

And this week’s Men’s Health feature did little to dispel any notion about tension between Dončić and LeBron. Dončić’s stop into the Yankees booth, however, told a different story of his relationship with LeBron. Although conspiracy theorists will note Dončić’s repeat use of “was” when talking about LeBron James as a teammate.