[From ESPN]

When LeBron James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, it had been five years since the franchise's last NBA postseason appearance, a drought as antithetical as it gets for a team that prior to that dry spell had only missed the playoffs five times in its 65-year existence.

Now, five years removed from its most recent NBA championship -- when James was named Finals MVP and lifted L.A. over the Miami Heat in six games -- Luka Doncic signed a three-year, $165 million maximum contract extension on Saturday. Whereas James was tasked with restoring respectability to the league's glamour outfit, Doncic's goal is to build a sustainable model that contributes to the Lakers' 17 titles.

James was 34 when he arrived in Southern California, informing an urgent approach to team building in hopes of maximizing the tail end of his prime. Doncic is only 26, but that doesn't mean he will be patient in L.A.'s quest to construct a contender around him. Doncic made that clear during a dinner in May with Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick when discussing their future together.

"I don't want to wait," Doncic told the table, a source familiar with the conversation told ESPN. "I had a taste of the Finals. I am getting back there. So, let's do whatever we can now."

Read more of ESPN's story HERE