Ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers game against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, star guard Luka Doncic was greeted with a warm welcome at the American Airlines Center. The game marks Doncic’s first game back in the home arena he used to play in before he was traded by the Mavericks’ front office. Before the game began, the Dallas organization played a video tribute to their former franchise superstar.
Upon seeing the video, Doncic couldn’t contain his emotions. Sitting on the bench by himself, the five-time All-Star had tears. The Lakers star wiped off his tears as he remembered the great memories he had with the team.
Luka wiping tears after watching Mavs tribute video 🥺 pic.twitter.com/9tYtzdW3A0
— ESPN (@espn) April 9, 2025
It was bound to be an emotional return for Doncic. Many expected that he’d be with the team his entire career. Fans viewed him as the successor of German legend, Dirk Nowitzki, who spent all of his 21 seasons with the Mavericks.
Unfortunately, the new ownership and management had other plans that likely didn’t involve Doncic. This led to the eventual trade that left the star, the fans and the media in complete shock. The five-time All-NBA star spent six and a half seasons with Dallas, averaging 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists.
Last season, he led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals and many believed they were one player away from winning the Larry O’Brien trophy. This led to the sign-and-trade for Klay Thompson over the summer. But things changed when general manager Nico Harrison made the blockbuster deal with the Lakers.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach had a message for Doncic ahead of his game against the Mavericks
Going against a former team is always one of the biggest moments in the NBA. Most of the time, the situation features a star player forcing their way out of a certain situation to join a different franchise. However, it was different when Doncic joined the Los Angeles Lakers. The former Rookie of the Year didn’t want to leave Dallas and was loved by the supporters of the Mavericks.
Still, playing against his former team in their home arena puts pressure on certain star players. Ahead of their game, head coach JJ Redick revealed his comforting message to Doncic on Wednesday.
“‘We got your back,’” Redick said via Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
JJ Redick on the pregame message he’ll deliver to Luka Doncic tonight: “‘We got your back.’”
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 9, 2025
Given how the Mavericks ended Doncic’s tenure by not informing him about the trade, Redick’s message could ease the 6-foot-6 guard. In the first half, the head coach’s message seems to have worked its magic on the European star. He had 31 points in 19 minutes and gave the Los Angeles Lakers control going into halftime.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
