Luka Doncic was sent to the Los Angeles Lakers from the Dallas Mavericks in one of the most shocking trades in NBA history. The deal was made in the late hours before the trade deadline, in early February of 2025. He was still recovering from a calf injury, so he didn’t make his Lakers debut until Feb. 10.
In that game against the Utah Jazz, Doncic played 23 minutes and finished with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists. He admitted, in an interview with Dratfeados, that he was among the most nervous he’s ever been for that game, translated by Luka Updates:
“What makes you nervous? A game? Or a moment in your life you’ve felt nervous just like the kids here?”
Luka: Definitely not a game.. but maybe my first Lakers game I was a bit nervous but anyway not much else😁
YT/DrafteadosNBA pic.twitter.com/o59JqFzSCL
— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) June 16, 2026
A regular season game against the Jazz in February does not have the same stakes as an NBA Finals game. But Doncic referenced that game before any of his Finals appearances. The trade from Dallas to L.A. sent shockwaves around the league, and was followed by some interesting stories coming out of the Mavericks.
Those stories involved Doncic being out of shape and overall very critical of him. Perhaps it’s the narrative that began forming after the trade that led him to be nervous, as public perception of the Slovenian superstar was at an all-time low, even if everyone agreed that the Mavericks were wrong to trade him.
It also was the beginning of a brand new chapter going from a mid-size franchise to one of the biggest in all of sports. The Lakers are one of the few true global brands among American pro teams, and Doncic was now the face of that franchise.
Whatever his reasons are, he clearly got over the nerves quickly, as his first full season with the Lakers ended in him finishing top four in MVP voting and being named to the First-Team All-NBA.
Luka Doncic staying in contact with Austin Reaves and LeBron James
Free agency is less than two weeks away in the NBA, and that is massive for the Lakers because of their two biggest names in Austin Reaves and LeBron James. However, Doncic is reportedly keeping in contact with both, even if most of it has been about their shared love of golf and not anything about the two free agents staying in L.A.
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