Interestingly, Lakers Ayton revealed that he only received a welcome message from Doncic, no one else s

How to evaluate the welcome text messages sent by new teammate Luca Doncic after joining the Lakers.

Los Angeles Lakers center DeAndre Aiton said that during the free agent market signing, he received a welcome message from his new teammate Luca Doncic. Ayton still can't believe that he is about to join Doncic and the Lakers. Ayton was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the same class as Luca Doncic, who was selected as the third pick. Today, two of the top three outstanding players in the draft that year play for the same team.

According to ESPN Los Angeles reporter Sedano & Kap, Ayton said that he did not receive text messages from other team members except Doncic took the initiative to contact him.

"Not yet, but I did get texts from Luca. I know what the offseason looks like. This is not my first time playing," Ayton said. "Everyone may be busy training and accompanying his family. I just want to integrate into the team and get to know everyone."

Ayton recently compared the team with Doncic to playing video games. According to ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin, Aiton couldn't wait to start the game.

"Luca is a rare player of a generation and I'm so happy to be with him," Ayton said. "I heard that he is in a very good shape recently, and I'm very happy to finally be able to fight with him."

For Doncic and Ayton, this will be their first time participating in the Lakers training camp together to prepare for the 2025-26 season.

DeAndre Ayton hit back against harsh criticism from Lakers players

Los Angeles Lakers center DeAndre Ayton hit back at critics who questioned whether he could succeed alongside Lakers All-Stars LeBron James and Luka Doncic. To those harsh critics, Ayton is determined to prove them wrong. However, he did not deny that it had an impact on his approach.

According to Lakers reporter Kobe Price, Ayton turns questions into motivation, and he believes it is his fate to join such a team with a long history while fighting alongside future Hall of Fame players.

"It inspires me and makes me fully ignite. It's another motivation I've wanted to express for a long time," Ayton said. "I think now is the best time to wear a purple and gold jersey. It's a platform that I can't escape. I can show my true self, fight alongside some great players, and show that better. This gives me a huge motivation to prove myself to the world."

Ayton played for the Trail Blazers in the 2024-25 season, averaging 14.4 points per game, shooting 56.6%, plus 10.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks.