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 before that dry spell had missed the playoffs only 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-buildin

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