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CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Luka Doncic agrees to 3-year, $165M US contract extension with Lakers
Luka Doncic's first six months with the Los Angeles Lakers were more than enough to give him a vision of a glittering long-term future with his new team. He sees championship banners, trophies and team success while living in a cosmopolitan city and playing for a world-famous team. He envisions his name and number in the rafters alongside every other transcendent great to wear the Lakers' gold jersey. So Doncic took the next step toward turning his dreams into reality Saturday when he agreed to a three-year, $165 million US maximum contract extension through 2028 with the Lakers, bypassing a chance at free agency next summer. "Being a Laker is an honour, and I wanted to be here," Doncic said during a news conference under the title banners and retired numbers festooning the gym at the Lakers' training complex. "When you look up here, so many great names and what they've achieved. I want to be up there too one day." The deal should keep the 26-year-old Doncic with Los Angeles through 2028 under a player option for the final season, after which he'll be eligible for a massive five-year extension that could allow him to recoup the max money he lost by getting traded by Dallas. The Slovenian superstar had a player option for the 2026-27 season under his previous contract. A person with knowledge of the deal confirmed the terms to The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Lakers don't publicly announce the details of contracts. The Lakers acquired Doncic from the Mavericks last February in a seismic trade for Anthony Davis. The five-time All-NBA selection and a five-time all-star averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game last season while teaming up with LeBron James for 50 victories and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Although his debut season in Los Angeles ended with a first-round playoff loss to Minnesota, the high-scoring guard says he greatly enjoyed his first months in Hollywood — enough to commit to the Lakers for the rest of his 20s, and almost certainly beyond. "It's an honour playing for this organization," Doncic said. "Many, many great players played here, so obviously I want to add one more up there. That's what we're working for." Reinvigorated passion In another sign of his reinvigorated passion, Doncic confirmed that he has been doing extensive summer conditioning and strength work after the Mavericks' questions about his physical commitment to the sport reportedly played a role in his shocking departure from Dallas. Doncic looked trim and athletic at his news conference, and he chuckled while saying he'll "obviously be a little bit faster" next season. "Just trying to help the team condition-wise," Doncic said. "Playing a lot of minutes, a lot of games, so I think it's going to be the best for me." Reaching the deal with no drama or delay is also a significant coup for the Lakers, whose future looks even brighter with Doncic under contract less than two months after the Buss family agreed to sell a controlling stake in the franchise to a deep-pocketed group led by Dodgers owner Mark Walter. Doncic will return this fall alongside James, who will begin his unprecedented 23rd NBA season. While Doncic's preeminent importance to the Lakers has been obvious from the moment they acquired him, general manager Rob Pelinka on Saturday called Doncic "the centrepiece and the foundation piece" of the Lakers going forward. James didn't attend Doncic's news conference, but Pelinka said the relationship between the Lakers and the top scorer in NBA history is still strong even after James's agent, Rich Paul, made pointed comments about James's desire for the Lakers to be a championship contender when James agreed to return this summer. "All the interactions we've had with LeBron and his camp have been positive and supportive," Pelinka said when asked if he thought the Lakers would be James's final team. "The dialogue with him has been open and constant. ... The No. 1 thing we have to do [with James's future] is respect him and his family's decision. We want to respect his opportunity to come up with his timetable on that. If he had a chance to retire as a Laker, that would be great." Doncic's comfort with the Lakers was already obvious in his off-season activity: He played a significant role in Los Angeles' successful bids to sign Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart, helping to persuade the two veterans to team up with him for the upcoming season. Doncic said he campaigned with both players because he respected them as opponents. Ayton, Smart and several other Lakers showed up in El Segundo to congratulate Doncic on his new deal. "Honestly, I think we have a great team," Doncic said. "We have what we need to compete for the championship. I will bring whatever I can bring and try to win every game no matter what. We've got some new great guys on the team, so you know we're going to go for it."


CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Celtics minority owner reaches deal to buy Connecticut Sun for record $325M US, move team to Boston: reports
A group led by Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca has reached a deal to buy the Connecticut Sun for a record $325 million US and move the team to Boston, according to a person familiar with the sale. The franchise wouldn't play in Boston until the 2027 season. Pagliuca also would contribute $100 million for a new practice facility in Boston for the team, the person said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Saturday because the deal hasn't been publicly announced. The sale is pending approval of the league and its Board of Governors. "Relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams," the league said in a statement. The Sun have played one regular season game at TD Garden each of the last two years, including one against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in July. The league has announced five expansion teams that will begin play over the next five seasons with Portland (2026), Toronto (2026), Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030) joining the WNBA. Each paid a then-record $250 million expansion fee. Nine other cities bid for expansion teams, including Houston, which the league singled out as getting a team in the future when it announced Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia in June. Boston did not. "No groups from Boston applied for a team at that time and those other cities remain under consideration based on the extensive work they did as part of the expansion process and currently have priority over Boston. Celtics' prospective ownership team has also reached out to the league office and asked that Boston receive strong consideration for a WNBA franchise at the appropriate time." The Boston Globe first reported the sale. The Sun are owned by the Mohegan Tribe, which runs the casino where the team has played since 2003. The Tribe bought the franchise for $10 million and relocated it from Orlando that year. The Connecticut franchise was the first in the league to be run by a non-NBA owner and also became the first to turn a profit. The team announced in May that it was searching for a potential buyer for the franchise and had hired investment bank Allen & Company to conduct the probe. The WNBA has experienced rapid growth the last few seasons and ownership groups have been investing more into their teams, including player experiences. That has come in the way of practice facilities. The Sun are one of the few teams in the league that haven't announced any plans for a new training facility. Connecticut practices either at the arena in the casino or a local community centre. Despite the lack of facilities, the Sun have been one of the most successful teams in the league, making the post-season in 16 seasons, including a run of six straight semifinal appearances. But the team was hit hard this off-season with the entire starting five from last season leaving either via free agency or trade. Connecticut is currently in last place in the WNBA at 5-21. The team sent out a letter to season ticket holders last week saying they'd still be playing at the casino next year. The last team to be sold in the WNBA was in 2021 when real estate investor Larry Gottesdiener led a group that bought the Atlanta Dream for under $10 million. A year earlier, Mark Davis paid roughly $2 million for the Las Vegas Aces.


CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Celtics minority owner reaches deal to buy Connecticut Sun for record $325 million, AP source says
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — A group led by Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca has reached a deal to buy the Connecticut Sun for a record US$325 million and move the team to Boston, according to a person familiar with the sale. The franchise wouldn't play in Boston until the 2027 season. Pagliuca also would contribute $100 million for a new practice facility in Boston for the team, the person said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Saturday because the deal hasn't been publicly announced. The sale is pending approval of the league and its Board of Governors. 'Relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams,' the league said in a statement. The Sun have played one regular season game at TD Garden each of the last two years, including one against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever in July. The league has announced five expansion teams that will begin play over the next five seasons with Portland (2026), Toronto (2026), Cleveland (2028), Detroit (2029) and Philadelphia (2030) joining the WNBA. Each paid a then-record $250 million expansion fee. Nine other cities bid for expansion teams, including Houston, which the league singled out as getting a team in the future when it announced Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia in June. Boston did not. 'No groups from Boston applied for a team at that time and those other cities remain under consideration based on the extensive work they did as part of the expansion process and currently have priority over Boston. Celtics' prospective ownership team has also reached out to the league office and asked that Boston receive strong consideration for a WNBA franchise at the appropriate time.' The Boston Globe first reported the sale. The Sun are owned by the Mohegan Tribe, which runs the casino where the team has played since 2003. The Tribe bought the franchise for $10 million and relocated it from Orlando that year. The Connecticut franchise was the first in the league to be run by a non-NBA owner and also became the first to turn a profit. The team announced in May that it was searching for a potential buyer for the franchise and had hired investment bank Allen & Company to conduct the probe. The WNBA has experienced rapid growth the last few seasons and ownership groups have been investing more into their teams, including player experiences. That has come in the way of practice facilities. The Sun are one of the few teams in the league that haven't announced any plans for a new training facility. Connecticut practices either at the arena in the casino or a local community center. Despite the lack of facilities, the Sun have been one of the most successful teams in the league, making the postseason in 16 seasons, including a run of six straight semifinal appearances. But the team was hit hard this offseason with the entire starting five from last season leaving either via free agency or trade. Connecticut is currently in last place in the WNBA at 5-21. The team sent out a letter to season ticket holders last week saying they'd still be playing at the casino next year. The last team to be sold in the WNBA was in 2021 when real estate investor Larry Gottesdiener led a group that bought the Atlanta Dream for under $10 million. A year earlier, Mark Davis paid roughly $2 million for the Las Vegas Aces. ___ Doug Feinberg, The Associated Press