Luka Doncic helped Real Madrid convince former Lakers teammate Nick Smith Jr. to sign, with the Spanish club revealing that the deal took around 20 days of negotiations to complete.

Luka Doncic played a significant role in helping Real Madrid convince former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Nick Smith Jr. to move to Europe, according to club basketball director Juan Carlos Sanchez.

Sanchez revealed that Doncic not only gave the club a strong recommendation but also contacted Smith directly during the negotiations.

“We had a lot of help getting him signed,” Sanchez said on Real Madrid TV, via AS.com. “People lent us a hand. Luka Doncic spoke fantastically about him – since the two were teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers – and he also reached out to him directly.”

Smith eventually signed with Real Madrid through the end of the 2026-27 season.

The 22-year-old arrived after three NBA seasons with the Charlotte Hornets and Lakers.

Credit AP – Scanpix

Doncic helped sell Smith on Real Madrid

“Players ask what Madrid is like – it’s one of the trendiest capitals – but when a star like Luka tells you, ‘Go there, it’s the closest thing to an NBA franchise you’ll find outside the United States, they’re going to treat you well, you’ll learn, you’ll get playing time, and if you want to go back, the market is wide open,’ that helps tremendously.”

Doncic played for Real Madrid before moving to the NBA in 2018 and later shared the Lakers locker room with Smith last season.

Sanchez also revealed that Real Madrid had to work extensively to complete the deal, with executives Alberto Herreros and Rudy Fernandez and head coach Pedro Martinez all involved.

Credit IMAGO/AgenciaLOF – Scanpix

“Herreros and Rudy spoke with Nick Smith many times, as did Pedro Martinez,” Sanchez noted. “We convinced him. And I’ll tell you that he was the hardest signing we’ve ever had to pull off.”

“We spent no fewer than twenty days insisting to his agents, to him, to his girlfriend… In the end, he made a decision that I think is the right one for both him and us. We’re going to try to enjoy his game and help him unleash all the potential he has inside.”

Smith averaged 6.2 points, 1.0 assist, and 0.8 rebounds in 12.5 minutes across 30 games for the Lakers last season, shooting 39.5% from three-point range.

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