Hours before the Los Angeles Lakers open the 2026-27 season, Luka Dončić delivered a message to the city in a way that was impossible to miss.
Dončić took out a full-page advertisement in Wednesday’s Los Angeles Times, addressing Lakers fans before the team begins its season against the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena.
The message opened with a direct statement of intent: “Tonight we start our run for a championship.”
Luka Dončić sets the standard for the Lakers
The ad reads less like a promotional campaign and more like a public promise. Dončić wrote about the responsibility that comes with wearing purple and gold, the generations of players who established the Lakers’ standard and the fans who have carried that tradition throughout Los Angeles.
He also pointed to the Lakers’ unique place in the city, from the hats and car flags to the murals that have become part of the local landscape. His central message was clear: this roster believes it can contend, but the effort has to be constant.
Dončić promised that the Lakers would give everything they have each night, with no excuses and no nights off. He closed by asking the fan base to match that energy throughout the season: “Every game, bring it with us.”
A face-of-the-franchise message
There is significance in Dončić being the player to deliver this message. Since arriving in Los Angeles, he has increasingly embraced the responsibility of leading the Lakers into their next era. A full-page ad on opening day is another unmistakable step into that role.
It also places championship expectations front and center. The Lakers enter the season with a reshaped roster and serious questions about how quickly the pieces will fit together, but Dončić is not lowering the bar. As detailed in our Lakers 2026-27 season preview, the goal is to build a team capable of carrying its superstar deep into the postseason.
The message now moves to the court
The timing could not be more deliberate. Los Angeles opens the season tonight against Stephen Curry and the Warriors, giving Dončić and the Lakers an immediate stage on which to back up the message.
A newspaper ad will not decide a championship, but it does make the standard unmistakable before the first ball goes up. Dončić has told Los Angeles what the Lakers are chasing. Now the season begins.