"LeBron gonna be on the next bus to Denver" - NBA fans abuzz over Luka Doncic wanting LeBron James to stay in LA until retirement

Luka Doncic expressed his desire to play with LeBron James longer. The four-time NBA champion opted into his player option with the LA Lakers next season. However, many fans remain concerned about James' future in LA.

Despite James' decision, trade rumors and speculation about his next team circulated throughout the offseason.

However, on Wednesday, Dallas Hoops Journal reported that Doncic doesn't want to push James away and wants him to retire in LA.

Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.

This news sent the fans into a frenzy, who swarmed social media with comments. One fan expressed his desire to see the Lakers part ways with James if they can bring Nikola Jokic to play with Doncic.

"Tell me he can get Jokic if he pushes LeBron out and LeBron gonna be on the next bus to Denver 😭😭," the fan said. "Luka wants to waste another year of his career without winning I see," another fan said. "Luka just tell that n***a to leave," one fan wrote.

Another fan talked about the possibility of James retiring in LA.

"Only way i see him retiring in LA is when he gets another ring there otherwise he's gone," the fan commented. "It’s crazy we in a new TL, this really Luka team now just like that," another fan said. "Luka sadly gonna be ringless during LeBarbie downfall. Luka should honestly go somewhere else where there's 'real fans'. Lakers have one of the worst fanbase in the nba," one fan wrote.

Doncic and James were one of the best duos in the league despite the Slovenian international joining the team midseason. The duo developed great on-court chemistry in a short time.

LeBron James once compared his connection to Luka Doncic to that of a quarterback and wide receiver

Shortly after Luka Doncic arrived in LA, he and LeBron James started pulling off some great plays on the court. One of those plays included a full-court pass, which the future Hall of Famer compared to a pass between a quarterback and a wide receiver.

After the Lakers' 123-100 win over the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 22, James explained his partnership with Doncic in football terms.

"I'm a natural-born wide receiver and he's a natural-born quarterback, so it fits perfectly," James said (Timestamp: 2:00). "I've been running the floor and running lanes pretty much my whole life. He's been throwing great passes pretty much his whole life, so it's not hard to get a rhythm when it comes to that."

James will play the final season of his contract with the Lakers in the 2025-26 season, and this might be Luka Doncic's last chance to win a ring alongside one of the greatest players in history.

Edited by Kim Daniel Rubinos