Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Image via: Joe Murphy/ NBAE via Getty Images
Speaking at his 2026 Rigorer Basketball Camp, Reaves made clear he’s arriving with a plan.
“I’m going to kick his a** in golf,” he said, before pivoting to the real point of the trip: getting a retooled Lakers roster comfortable with each other before training camp opens. Austin Reaves is already trash-talking Luka Doncic ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers’ minicamp in Slovenia, and golf is the battlefield.
20 to Aug. 24, marks the first real gathering for a Lakers team that looks almost nothing like the one LeBron James left behind. Rookie Cameron Carr is the only player who won’t make it, held back by mandatory NBA rookie orientation.
The minicamp itself is Doncic’s idea, and it says something about where he sees himself now that James is gone. Doncic posted about the trip himself, writing that he’s “looking forward to the time together” and excited to show his new teammates where he’s from. The four-day camp, running Aug. Austin Reaves was in Hong Kong on his annual China tour when he was asked about the trip, and his answer doubled as both a joke and a mission statement. Golf has become his preferred way of getting under Luka Doncic’s skin, and by his own account, it’s one of the only competitions he’s ever had a real shot at winning against his co-star. He’s hosting teammates in Ljubljana, mixing basketball workouts with sightseeing and golf, and using the week to fast-track chemistry a roster this reshaped badly needs. The roster he’s welcoming barely resembles last season’s group. Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, Kevon Looney, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle and Jaden Hardy are all new additions, brought in as general manager Rob Pelinka reshaped the team around Doncic’s strengths. That extension, paired with James’ departure, settled any question about who the Lakers are building around. Head coach JJ Redick inherits a team with a clear top two and eight new faces still learning where they fit. A week in Slovenia, golf trash talk included, is Doncic’s answer to how fast that gets figured out.