The past week has been a whirlwind for Luka Doncic, who went from thinking he would be with the Dallas Mavericks for his entire career to being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
While Doncic was admittedly stunned when he learned he had been traded, since then he has done everything possible to ingratiate himself with his new team and community.
Doncic has been out since Christmas Day due to a calf strain but is expected to make his Lakers debut on Monday night against the Utah Jazz. There is a ton of excitement right now surrounding Doncic and the Lakers, who have won five straight games and are currently playing their best basketball.
Ahead of his debut, the Luka Doncic Foundation announced a $500,000 donation to support wildfire relief in his new community:
A message from @luka7doncic to Los Angeles. 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/fhoa30nIjY
— Luka Dončić Foundation (@LD77Foundation) February 10, 2025
One month after the fires, many families are still rebuilding their lives. Today, the Luka Dončić Foundation is committing $500,000 to immediate fire recovery efforts, and will work with local organizations to help rebuild play spaces destroyed by the fires.
We're committed to… pic.twitter.com/xKWv3SeBwC
— Luka Dončić Foundation (@LD77Foundation) February 10, 2025
This is an incredible gesture from Doncic and his foundation, who are obviously new to the L.A. community. The city has been going through a tough time with the recent wildfires, and Doncic clearly wanted to support them in some way. The Lakers and head coach JJ Redick have also pledged donations to wildfire relief efforts as well.
It remains to be seen if Doncic will want to stay with the Lakers long-term, but gestures like this show he is committed to the organization and community for however long he is here, which is great to see. He may have tipped his hand a little though, saying he’s here to help “now and for the long haul.”
LeBron James can’t wait to share court with Luka Doncic
Everyone is super excited for Luka Doncic’s debut with the Lakers on Monday night, and that includes LeBron James.
“I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait,” LeBron said. “Everything that I do on the floor, he just has the ability to do it or even do it better. That’s how great he is. Even at a young age, at 25, he’s such a unique player, special player, generational talent. So be super appreciative to be able to share the floor with him and then watch him do his thing.”
James and Doncic are arguably the two most talented players to be teammates, so it will be interesting to see how things work out for the Lakers to finish the season.
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