"Dodgers didn't bat an eyelash at giving Shohei Ohtani" - Sportscaster cites LA's $700M MLB splash to slam Lakers' spending doubts

2 hours ago 1

close

The Los Angeles Dodgers made MLB history by signing Shohei Ohtani to a $700 million deal, the largest at the time, in December 2023. While the contract value was eclipsed by the New York Mets' $765 million deal for Juan Soto last offseason, Ohtani's contract with the Dodgers has become a benchmark in American sports.

Following in the footsteps of their sister MLB franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers made headlines by trading Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks last season.

Ahead of the 2025 season, Doncic is expected to sign a contract extension with the Lakers. While the Lakers are reportedly offering a four-year, $229 million deal, Doncic is expected to sign a three-year, $165 million contract, which makes him eligible for a $417 million deal in 2028.

march madness logo

Veteran NBA sportscaster Ramona Shelburne reflected on Doncic's contract situation on Friday's episode of "NBA Today." She urged the Lakers to go all in for the Slovenian superstar, highlighting the Dodgers' deal for Shohei Ohtani.

“Mark Walter, who owns the Los Angeles Dodgers, didn't bat an eyelash at giving Shohei Ohtani $700 million,” Ramona Shelburne said on “NBA Today.” “(The Lakers) got it.”

She talked about the importance of Doncic's extension for the Lakers.

“If he signs here and commits to the Lakers, that is, they win the summer. There’s teams out there right now, waiting to see if Luka extends with the Lakers because if he doesn’t, he’s the biggest free agent to hit the market in years,” she continued.

Although Luka Doncic didn't have the best start to his Lakers stint last season, the All-Star put in the work in the offseason to make a lasting impact in the 2025 season.

Why did you not like this content?

  • Clickbait / Misleading
  • Factually Incorrect
  • Hateful or Abusive
  • Baseless Opinion
  • Too Many Ads
  • Other

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash

Read Entire Article