Although Luka Doncic has always loved the ocean, he had never lived in a coastal city until this year. Ljubljana, Slovenia; Madrid; and Dallas are all fine stopovers on the journey of a transcendent basketball player, but they’re not exactly near the beach.
A water view is not the biggest reason Doncic is embracing his new life with the Los Angeles Lakers, but the past year has reminded him to enjoy every opportunity when he gets it.
Over the summer, he reportedly bought a $25 million Manhattan Beach mansion that used to belong to tennis star Maria Sharapova. Doncic says he mostly stays home with his fiancee and daughter when he isn’t working — and now he has a home on the edge of the sparkling Pacific.
“The ocean is my favorite thing, and the beach,” he said during training camp. “I’m a big water guy. Everywhere I played, I never got to experience the ocean, so now it’s great.”
The past nine months of upheaval in Doncic’s life have left the Slovenian superstar unbothered, but also refocused on the things that are most important to him — and basketball is still atop that list.