New Luka Doncic, Kobe Bryant Lakers Mural in the Works

Ricardo Sandoval | Feb 15, 2025

Feb 12, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) dribbles during the first quarter against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images / Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

A few weeks ago, the NBA world was rocked to its core when the Los Angeles Lakers traded for young international superstar Luka Dončić.

The trade is still shocking; many view it as a massive win for the Lakers. Not only do the Lakers have a star duo in Dončić and LeBron James, but they now have someone to lead them into the next decade, as Dončić is only 25.

Dončić is clearly the superstar for the Lakers for now and into the future. It is truly a delight to have him in Los Angeles, and like many others before him, he will have a mural in L.A. as an artist is currently working on one.

New Luka Doncic and Kobe Bryant mural coming soon to LA 👀 pic.twitter.com/611RDFHVDi

— Kobe Bryant Stories & Motivation (@kobehighlight) February 15, 2025

The picture the artist is using for the mural is the moment that Lakers legend Kobe Bryant attended the Lakers vs. Mavericks game in late December 2019.

It was the game when Bryant was talking to Dončić in Slovenian before an inbounds pass.

Dončić spoke to reporters after that game and said he was surprised and that it was "amazing," and he'll "never forget this." 

The 25-year-old has only played in two games in purple and gold. In those two games, he is averaging 15.0 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 0.5 steals while shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from three in 23.5 minutes of action.

Dončić is just getting his feet under him as prior to his first game as a Laker on Monday, Feb. 12, he had not played since Christmas.

He was recovering from a left calf strain.

Dončić has a long way to go if he ever wants to be considered a Lakers great, especially if he wants to be compared to Bryant.

Nonetheless, that is hard for anyone to do, even considering that Dončić is a tremendous basketball player. Bryant was and still is beloved in Los Angeles due to what he did on and off the court for the Lakers.

What Bryant did on the court cannot be duplicated: He won five championships for the franchise, was an NBA MVP, and was a two-time Finals MVP; he also has the most points scored in one arena, Staples Center: 16,161.

In addition, he also scored the most points in three quarters (62), the most points in a modern NBA game (81), and is the all-time Lakers' leading scorer.

Dončić has big shoes to fill, but if he can just be himself, he'll have a good chance to join the elite of the Lakers franchise.

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