Marcus Smart has opened up about how Luka Doncics persistence helped sway his decision to join the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason.
In his first press conference in purple and gold, the point guard recalled the moment his agent first delivered the news that Doncic had reached out about a potential move.
It first came, my agent, Im working out and I get a call from my agent saying, Lukas reached out and Im like, yeah, whatever, Smart said. And then another day, same thing, Lukas reached out again. And now its real, its no longer what ifs, its real and its something we need to talk about. And that was a great feeling, like I said, and thats kind of what got the things going for me to be here and Im excited to be here.
Marcus Smart talks about Luka Doncics efforts to recruit him to L.A. He said prior to this summer, they didnt have a relationship beyond mutual respect as competitors: It was always flowers pic.twitter.com/4k4KPi3tQu
Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 22, 2025
Now paired with Doncic, Smart is looking forward to adding his defensive versatility and leadership to a Lakers team aiming to make a deep playoff run.
You know, when you get a guy like Luka calling, referencing, checking on you, trying to see where youre at to see, Smart said. And that if you want to come, join something special that hes trying to cook up over here. And for him to say that, to see that he can really use my help, that meant a lot. Played against Luka a lot, been on a lot of opposing ends of, you know, Luka magic. And to be able to come out and be on his side at this time means a lot.
When asked if there was any prior relationship between the two, Smart admitted it was more of a mutual respect from years of competition rather than a relationship.
I wouldnt say it was a relationship, but we definitely had a mutual understanding and respect for each other, Smart said. After every game, playing, it was always flowers. Way to go, keep going, keep those guys going and vice versa.
