Shortly after Luka Doncic finished with his first media session at the Lakers’ practice facility Tuesday, Kings captain Anze Kopitar was surrounded by reporters at his team’s training center about a half-mile away.
Kopitar, the only Slovenian to win hockey’s Stanley Cup, and Doncic, the only Slovenian named the NBA’s rookie of the year, were born just 38 miles apart and remain their country’s most popular and accomplished professional athletes. And though they talked on the phone occassionally and reportedly kept tabs on one another, they didn’t meet in person until 2019, when Doncic, then a rookie, came out to see Kopitar and the Kings beat the Dallas Stars. Afterward, they exchanged jerseys and posed for pictures.
Kopitar said he learned of the trade on social media during his team’s flight home from Carolina last week.
“We’ve talked a little bit, but he’s got a lot of stuff on the go,” Kopitar said. “So we’re going to let the dust settle and then get an acclimated and all that stuff and connect.”
Kopitar said his 8-year-old son Jakob is a big fan of Doncic so he expects he’ll be pressured into attending a few more Lakers games now. As for sharing housing tips on Southern California, where he’s lived for 18 years, Kopitar said he’s sure Doncic has all the help he needs.
“He’s old enough. He’s going to want to pick wherever he wants to be,” he said. “But if he wants advice, I’ll be there to help.”