Luka Doncic will make his much-awaited return to the American Airlines Center on Wednesday for the first time since the Dallas Mavericks shockingly decided to trade him to the Los Angeles Lakers in February.
Doncic has faced his former team once since the trade back on Feb. 25, when he recorded a triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists in the Lakers’ 107-99 win over the Mavericks.
But Wednesday’s game marks the first time Doncic returns to play in Dallas—the place he called home for nearly seven years and planned to spend his entire NBA career. Doncic was beloved in Dallas, so much so that the fans formed large protests after he was traded. After all, he was the face of the franchise that just led his team to the NBA Finals, yet even still, the Mavericks found him trade-able.
Ahead of the game, Doncic acknowledged that it will be an emotional return to Dallas, but he doesn’t know exactly how he will feel.
“Of course, it’s going to be a lot of emotion for me,” Doncic told reporters on Tuesday, via The Athletic’s Jovan Buha. “I don’t even know what to expect. I don’t know how I’m going to feel, honestly. I know I’m looking forward to being back in Dallas, obviously with the fans, teammates—ex-teammates. It’s going to be very emotional for me for sure.”
LeBron James is looking to do “whatever Luka needs” to support Doncic in his return to Dallas, but adds “winning would be the best solution.”
The game will be both important emotionally, but also for the standings. The Lakers are looking to lock up the No. 3 seed, and need to go 2-1 to finish the season to do so. Getting a win tomorrow will be key for both Doncic and his current team.
