It was an emotional night for Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic. In his first game in Dallas since being traded from the Mavericks, cameras caught Doncic trying to hold back years as the team played a tribute video to their former star.
It’s clear that Doncic wasn’t fully over the Mavericks’ decision to trade him. He spent seven seasons in Dallas and just led the team to the NBA Finals less than a year ago.
LeBron James has never been traded but he knows what it’s like to go back and play against the team he started with. Sometimes these emotions can get the best of a player and lead to a poor performance but that wasn’t the case for Doncic, who scored 45 points in the Lakers’ 112-97 win.
James could tell that Doncic was going to have a big game.
“You can call that an out-of-body experience then, because he was locked in from start to finish,” James told reporters after the game.
James has been part of some of the biggest moments in NBA history but Wednesday’s game against the Mavericks is going to stick with him.
“It was an unbelievable moment, something I’ll probably never forget, to be a part of that moment,” James said.
“The kid had seven amazing seasons here, and went from a kid to a man, so for all those moments to just come together today, it’s pretty cool,” he added.
Doncic Didn’t Think He’d Be Able To Play
As previously noted, it was clear that this was a highly emotional experience for Doncic. He didn’t request a trade from Dallas nor was he consulted before the deal was agreed upon.
The fans have also continued to show him a lot of love and have placed blame on the Mavericks’ front office for the trade. All the emotions almost got the best of him before the game.
“After that video, I was like, ‘There’s no way I’m playing this game,’” Doncic told reporters. “So many emotions. I just went out there and played basketball. It was an amazing experience — the fans, the way they accepted me, the way they cheered for me, it was just
unbelievable.”
JJ Redick Calls Luka Doncic ‘Superhuman’
Even with all the emotions, Doncic had one of his best games of the season. Lakers head coach JJ Redick played with Doncic and is now coaching him. He was still in awe over what the guard was able to do against his former team.
“The moment, the tribute video, and him sitting by himself, getting to actually live that and live in the moment, and allowing himself to be vulnerable and his teammates, some of his teammates got emotional, some of the coaches got emotional — it’s a beautiful moment,” Redick said. “I thought the video was great. … His ability to then go perform, lights turn on, he’s teary-eyed still as we walk out on the court for the tip ball. To have the emotional resolve to then put on that kind of performance, it’s superhuman.”
Now that Doncic has gotten his return to Dallas out of the way, he can finally put his focus on the Lakers and their fan base.
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