Weird' and 'emotional': Luka Doncic is glad his Mavs reunion is behind him

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As Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison walked through the tunnel before Tuesday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, he was met with cheers. The catch? Those cheers were coming from fans decked out in purple and gold.

For the first time since Harrison stunned the NBA world by trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis in early February, Doncic faced his former team. The atmosphere inside Crypto.com Arena felt like a playoff game.

Harrison heard it from the crowd. Davis did, too—though in a different way. As the injured star (recovering from an adductor strain) took pregame shots, Serbian music played through the arena speakers, a not-so-subtle reminder of his homecoming. Davis had spent five and a half seasons in L.A., helping the Lakers win a championship in 2020. On the other end of the court, Doncic was warming up at the same time.

Before the game, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd called Doncic "the game plan," even comparing him to "a Picasso." And after the Lakers’ 107-99 victory, Kyrie Irving admitted playing against his former teammate was “awkward as s---.”

Doncic played with intensity, recording his first triple-double as a Laker with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists, along with three steals and two blocks. But facing his former team—just weeks after the shock of being traded—left him drained both mentally and physically.

“The closure is going to take a while, I think,” Doncic said. “It’s not ideal. But, like I said, I’m glad this game is over. There were a lot of emotions.”

In truth, Doncic hadn’t slept much leading up to the game. The entire month of February had been a whirlwind. The five-time All-Star and All-NBA selection, who had led Dallas to the Finals last season, became one of the most-discussed athletes in sports.

Questions swirled about his conditioning. The Mavericks had pulled off a nearly unprecedented move—trading away a 25-year-old superstar widely considered a top-three talent. The NBA world wanted answers. Why had Dallas let him go?

Kidd hopes Doncic won’t let the speculation get to him.

“Sometimes you can’t listen to the noise,” Kidd said. “The great ones block it out and overcome what’s true or what’s not true. Everybody has an angle, everybody has a conspiracy theory.”

Kidd acknowledged Doncic’s immense talent, insisting he’ll remain “one of the best players in the world.” Despite any doubts about his coachability, the former Mavericks star took constructive criticism well, especially when it came to his defense and pace of play.

“Sometimes as a coach, you just ask, ‘Can you participate on the defensive end?’” Kidd said. “And he did. He helped us get to the Western Conference Finals (in 2022), he helped us do it again (in 2024), and then the Finals (in 2024). We talked about playing faster, and he was up for that challenge. He loves to be coached. He loves to be told the truth.”

For Doncic, the criticism has only fueled him. At Lakers media day, he brushed off concerns about his conditioning, calling the talk “a motive.”

“I know it’s not true,” he said.