Former teammates Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson faced off on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. The New York Knicks protected their home court with a 112-100 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The Knicks improved to 31-18, tied for second place with the Boston Celtics.
Doncic led the Lakers with his 30 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. His strong performance was not enough to lead LA past the Knicks in their challenging eight-game road trip. Brunson, meanwhile, had 12 points and 13 rebounds on a lowly 26.7% shooting from the field. Fortunately for the star guard, his teammates stepped up.
After the game, players from both teams acknowledged each other. When it was time for Doncic to interact with his former Dallas Mavericks teammate, the Slovenian star flipped Brunson off.
Luka flipped off Jalen Brunson postgame 😅
pic.twitter.com/v6t2fRouSr— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 2, 2026
Fans went wild online, but also realized that both star guards are close friends.
“Luka’s got jokes! Flippin’ off Brunson like old times 😅” a fan said.
“people forget they used to be teammates and started their careers off together,” another fan commented.
“Brunson was not laughing at that s**t 😂” one fan said.
“I enjoy their friendship,” someone commented.
“god forbid old teamates mess w each other,” a comment read.
“i know damn well theyre still good friends, they used to be teammates,” a fan commented.
Both players started their careers with the Dallas Mavericks and were drafted in 2018. They spent four seasons as teammates before Brunson joined the Knicks in 2022.
Jalen Brunson commented on Luka Doncic being a Laker
It’s the first anniversary of the Luka Doncic trade. Last season, the Mavericks surprised everyone when they traded Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis. After their contest against the Knicks, Jalen Brunson was asked if it’s weird seeing the six-time All-Star playing for LA.
“Yeah, definitely weird,” Brunson said. “I think we all expected him to be in Dallas for the longest time. Now, he’s a Laker, and he’s playing great and still doing the things he does.”
Jalen Brunson says it's "definitely weird" to see Luka Dončić in a Lakers jersey:
"I think we all expected him to be in Dallas for the longest time. Now he's a Laker and he's playing great and still doing the things he does." pic.twitter.com/gtvnJM5Amu
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) February 2, 2026
Brunson wasn’t the only one who thought Luka Doncic would spend his entire NBA career with the Mavericks. Fans, critics and other players did not imagine that Doncic would be playing for a different organization.
But with the Lakers, Doncic has consistently flourished, and is potentially the new face of the franchise.
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