WALDRON GRAIN & FUEL

10/20 18:38 CDT Fitter and hungrier, Luka Doncic embraces his new life before his first season opener with Lakers Fitter and hungrier, Luka Doncic embraces his new life before his first season opener with Lakers By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) --- Although Luka Doncic has always loved the ocean, he had never lived in a coastal city until this year. Ljubljana, Slovenia; Madrid; and Dallas are all fine stopovers on the journey of a transcendent basketball player, but they're not exactly near the beach. A water view is not the biggest reason Doncic is embracing his new life with the Los Angeles Lakers, but the past year has reminded him to enjoy every opportunity when he gets it. Over the summer, he reportedly bought a $25 million Manhattan Beach mansion that used to belong to tennis star Maria Sharapova. Doncic says he mostly stays home with his fiancee and daughter when he isn't working --- and now he has a home on the edge of the sparkling Pacific. "The ocean is my favorite thing, and the beach," he said during training camp. "I'm a big water guy. Everywhere I played, I never got to experience the ocean, so now it's great." The past nine months of upheaval in Doncic's life have left the Slovenian superstar unbothered, but also refocused on the things that are most important to him --- and basketball is still atop that list. "I think I had a great summer, and I really have a fresh mind now," Doncic said. "So it all starts again." After a summer of well-documented fitness gains and international hoops success, Doncic begins his first full season with the Lakers on Tuesday night when they host Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Everyone could see Doncic was slimmer and faster in his two preseason appearances this month for the Lakers, who brought him back to full game fitness cautiously after his busy summer at EuroBasket. Doncic says he made his physical changes largely with conditioning exercises, not diet changes --- but he's still hungry to add more achievements to his stellar career. Coach JJ Redick says Doncic is "in a clearer headspace" this season, "and by that, I mean just mentally and emotionally in balance. It allows you the freedom to just be yourself." The upheaval of 2025 hasn't stopped now that Doncic is finally settled in LA, however. LeBron James, one of his boyhood idols and his most talented teammate, is recovering from sciatica, leaving Doncic to lead the Lakers by himself for at least the first few weeks of the season. Doncic knows how hard it will be to win without James by his side, but he is committed to the Lakers' project under Redick, his former teammate with the Mavs. Doncic showed it by agreeing to a three-year, $165 million contract extension in August, bypassing the chance at free agency next summer and quelling any lingering doubt that he had embraced his stunning midseason move. The season opener against Curry is his first test, and he looks forward to making his own stamp on the Lakers' lengthy rivalry with the Warriors. "Obviously if it was Steph against LeBron, everybody would watch it," Doncic said. "Going against Steph is very exciting. It's going to be tough. I don't know if it's a rivalry (for me yet), but it's sure exciting." Doncic is still just 26 years old, but he understands the responsibilities inherent in his role as the centerpiece of the Lakers' next era, and he's trying to meet them. He played a role in improving the Lakers' roster during the summer by lobbying Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart to join him. After the first Tuesday practice of training camp, Doncic took his teammates a few miles down the road to the Porsche Experience Center. The Lakers got to watch each other as they tested speedy sports cars --- including rides big enough to accommodate huge men like Ayton. "I've never done that before --- never had one of the star players on the team really look out for the team like that," Ayton said. "Something like that is actually crazy. I'd never been in a Porsche before, so it was my first time. I didn't know Luka was into cars like that." Doncic's teammates have noticed his increasing confidence in taking a leadership role one season after he was thrust into a new locker room at midseason. His carefree, occasionally goofy demeanor in the locker room endears him to teammates like Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves, who share his lighthearted attitude. "The way he came here was a big shock to the world, I'm sure to him as well," guard Gabe Vincent said. "He's done a lot of work to be around the guys more and just get himself comfortable and more involved." ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA