Doncic Open to Real Madrid Return to End Pro Basketball Career

Luka Doncic said he would consider finishing his pro basketball career at Real Madrid, the club where his ascent began, if his NBA days eventually come to an end. In a Wall Street Journal interview this week, the 26-year-old guard expressed openness to returning to Real Madrid after his NBA career concludes. "To play with Real Madrid, you have to be so good," Doncic told the Wall Street Journal. "For sure," Luka added about a reunion with Real Madrid. "They raised me."

Real Madrid is widely regarded as Europe’s most renowned pro basketball program, boasting 38 Spanish League championships, 29 Spanish Cups and 11 EuroLeague titles. Doncic's professional path began with Real Madrid at age 13, moving to the Liga ACB squad at 16, the youngest to do so. He spent four years with Real Madrid before being selected No. 3 overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2018 NBA Draft and then traded to the Dallas Mavericks. After six seasons in Dallas, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers midway through last season. He has also undergone a notable offseason transformation, reportedly shedding about 31 pounds. In a conversation around his improvement, he told Men’s Health that he remains motivated to sharpen his game: "So every summer I try my best to work on different things," Doncic said. "Obviously, I’m very competitive. This summer was just a little bit different, you know. It kind of motivated me to be even better. Just visually, I would say my whole body looks better."

The Lakers guard remains under contract with Los Angeles and has been at the center of trade discussions in recent seasons, reflecting a period of change for a player who has long been one of the NBA’s most prominent figures. Doncic joined Real Madrid as a teenager, developed into a global star on the European stage, and later rose to NBA stardom with the Mavericks before moving to the Lakers in a blockbuster deal that drew widespread attention. While he has shown a commitment to his current NBA team, the WSJ interview underscored the pull of Real Madrid as a potential, long-range destination that could one day cap his professional career.

Off the court, Doncic is undergoing a dramatic physical transformation that has drawn attention as part of his ongoing effort to maximize his performance. His offseason changes have included a reported 31-pound weight loss, a figure he discussed in multiple outlets. In the same Men’s Health interview, he offered insight into his approach to conditioning and improvement, emphasizing consistency and competitiveness as core drivers of his career trajectory. The comments align with a broader narrative about how elite players manage aging, durability, and evolving role expectations at the sport’s highest levels.

Real Madrid’s stature as a premier European franchise adds another layer to the discussion about a potential return. The club’s history in domestic and continental competitions has long defined its identity, and a reunion would carry symbolic weight for a player who began his journey in the Spanish capital. The walls he speaks of—those that shaped him during formative years—are part of what makes the possibility compelling to fans and analysts alike. Yet at this stage, Doncic is focused on the Lakers and the 2025-26 season, with no public timetable for a post-NBA chapter beyond that scope.

Even as his career continues to unfold in the NBA, the door remains open in the eyes of many observers. Real Madrid, for its part, continues to chase titles and cultivate new generations of players while honoring a history that helped launch one of the league’s most recognizable talents. For Doncic, the idea of finishing where he started is more than a sentimental possibility; it would be a fitting culmination of a journey through the world’s two most intense basketball ecosystems. Until that day arrives, he remains a central figure in the ongoing narrative of European-to-NBA basketball stardom and one of the sport’s most watched players.