Luka Dončić always knew it was going to be an emotional return to Dallas when wearing his No 77 Los Angeles Lakers jersey in the place he called home the first five and a half seasons of his NBA career.
Then the Mavericks showed a more than two-minute video tribute before he had even been introduced before his first game back Wednesday night, two months after being traded.
Dončić watched while sitting on the bench alone, with tears in his eyes and wondering if he would even be able to get through the game.
More than play, he had another Luka-like standout performance.
Dončić matched his season high with 45 points in a 112-97 victory that clinched a playoff spot for the Lakers. He already had 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting with three threes in the first 10 and a half minutes.
“It was a beautiful moment. I thought the video was great,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “But I think just 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 go put on that kind of performance, it’s superhuman.”
The other four Lakers starters had already been introduced as Dončić looked up to watch many highlights from his time in Dallas – from being the 2018-19 NBA rookie of the year to last year’s NBA finals when he was the league scoring champion.
Dončić didn’t make it all the way through before putting his head down and wiping away tears. His eyes were still red once he was introduced and came on the court to be surrounded by his teammates and get several hugs.
The 26-year-old from Slovenia had thought he would spend his entire career in Dallas before that seismic trade out of nowhere the first weekend of February, a deal that brought Anthony Davis to Dallas.
“It was a little bit of both, happy and angry, but it’s nice to see some familiar faces here,” Dončić said about arriving at the American Airlines Center before Wednesday’s game. “It was a lot emotions. When I woke up, I was tired. Ain’t going to lie, I didn’t sleep much. Excited about this game. I really appreciate the fans, the way they reacted to me.”
There were loud cheers throughout the night, plus extended ovations when he was first introduced and then exited the game in the closing minutes. Draped over every seat in the arena was a T-shirt with “Hvala za vse” across the front – that Slovenian phrase translates to “Thank you for everything.” Dončić called it an amazing and unbelievable experience, but one that he is happy to have done.
