Luka Doncic’s rookie year with the Dallas Mavericks coincided with the final season of the franchise’s greatest player ever, Dirk Nowitzki. It was a literal passing of the torch as Doncic was expected to be the face of that franchise for years to come, but that all came to a shocking end when he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
On Monday night, Doncic made his debut for his new team, finishing with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in the Lakers’ blowout win over the Utah Jazz. There were a number of stars in attendance to see Doncic in purple and gold and one of them was Nowitzki himself.
The Hall of Famer and Dallas legend went to social media to let it be known that while he will always love the Mavericks, he had to support his friend Doncic in his Lakers debut:
I will always be a Mav for life, but had to come support my guy 77 @luka7doncic in the first game of his new chapter!
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) February 11, 2025
Considering the Mavericks had a home game as well, it says a lot about the connection and friendship that Nowitzki and Doncic share that he felt it was more important to be in L.A. on this night. And that meant a lot to Doncic, who greatly appreciated the support in his first game with the Lakers.
“A lot, man. For him to show up,” Doncic said after the Lakers win. “Great friend. Always looked up to him. Great mentor. So for him to show up and fly all the way from Dallas was amazing, and I really, really appreciate it.”
It was not only Doncic’s first game with his new team, but also his first game back from a calf strain suffered on Christmas Day so there was some nerves, but also some rust to shake off, not to mention getting used to his new teammates.
Doncic had a ton of support from all of the Lakers fans in attendance, but the support of Nowitzki had to mean so much more than anything else.
Luka Doncic got ‘chills’ from LeBron James’ pregame message in Lakers debut
Luka Doncic’s debut with the Lakers was a special night overall and it began even before the game started. Following player introductions, LeBron James gave a pregame message to the team, but it was his message specifically to Doncic, telling him to be himself and not to fit in, but fit out that made waves. Even Doncic himself admitted to getting chills upon hearing that from his new teammate.
“I mean, it’s like I said before. It’s special,” Doncic said. “You know, for him to say something like that feels amazing. Give him confidence. After that speech, it was chills. So I was just happy to be part.”
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