LeBron James gave a heartfelt hug to Luka Doncic as the Slovenian star returned to the American Airlines Center in Dallas for the first time since being traded. Emotions ran high as the Mavericks honored Doncic with a touching tribute video ahead of their matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Doncic, was visibly moved by the montage, which highlighted his journey with the Mavericks a team he led with passion and brilliance for over six seasons. Dallas fans were gifted T-shirts reading "najlepša hvala" (thank you so much in Slovenian), adding to the emotional homecoming.
The five-time All-Star was traded to the Lakers on February 2 in a blockbuster deal that sent Anthony Davis to Dallas. Drafted by the Mavericks in 2018, Doncic quickly rose to stardom, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2019 and helping lead the team to the NBA Finals just last season.
Magic Johnson hails Luka Doncic
Lakers legend Magic Johnson recently hailed Luka Doncic, revealing on X that he has witnessed the high-octane and emotional showdown. Sharing a heartfelt message for Luka Doncic, Johnson took to X and wrote, “Luka’s homecoming was special! He put on a spectacular show of his talent scoring 31 points by halftime and 45 points overall and received a rousing standing ovation from Mavericks fans before the game and at the end. The true hero tonight was LeBron James - he dominated the fourth quarter with 13 points to seal the victory for the Lakers!”
Lakers clinch playoff spot after beating Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic shrugged off the raw emotion of his return to Dallas with a dazzling 45-point display against his former club as the Los Angeles Lakers downed the Dallas Mavericks 112-97 to punch their ticket to the NBA playoffs on Wednesday.
Doncic scored 14 in the first quarter alone, and added 17 points in the second period to help the Lakers to a 60-57 halftime lead. The ex-Mavs star slowed down scoring in the second half, leaving James to produce a trademark fourth-quarter burst to close out the victory.
