Sights and sounds from Luka Doncic’s return to Dallas
Sixty-six days ago, Luka Doncic‘s career changed forever.
After spending his first six and half seasons with the Dallas Mavericks where he won Rookie of the Year (2019), made five All-NBA First Teams, and helped lead the franchise to its first NBA Finals since 2011, the unthinkable happened.
During the midnight hour on Feb. 2, Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers as part of a blockbuster deal for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and draft rights to a 2029 Lakers first-round pick.
The trade was so shocking that other players from around the association believed it to be fake on social media. Doncic made his debut on Feb. 10 against the Utah Jazz, where he dropped 14 points in 24 minutes.
“Luka, be your f—ing self. … Don’t fit in, fit the f— out. Be yourself,” Lakers star LeBron James told Doncic during a pregame huddle.
Since Doncic’s start in Los Angeles, he’s averaged 27.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.6 assists.
Doncic will finally make his return to the American Airlines Center to face his former team on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN).
Here are the sights and sounds from the Lakers guard’s return to the South.
Mavs fan or Luka fan?
One fan took matters into his own hands, using duct-tape and a marker to jokingly convert Doncic’s Mavericks jersey into a Lakers uniform.
You gotta do what you gotta do 😅
📺 Lakers at Mavericks | 7:30 PM on ESPN pic.twitter.com/PccU9QEAYG
— ESPN (@espn) April 9, 2025
Luka arrives to American Airlines Center
Donning all black in his arrival, Doncic passed a wall that featured former Mavs players — including himself — with the message: “Thanks for the memories.”
https://t.co/JVaKJXWzkO pic.twitter.com/VXxTwAhLLx
— NBA (@NBA) April 9, 2025
Mavericks fill arena with shirts for fans
On each seat in the American Airlines Center lies a white tee shirt with the text “Hvala za vse,” which is Slovenian for “thank you for everything” — a special message from the franchise to Doncic.
Thank you for everything.#MFFL pic.twitter.com/ZpM0mP3EOQ
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 9, 2025
Source: espn.com