Los Angeles, CA — All-Star guard Luka Doncic admitted he was stunned when the Dallas Mavericks sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers, calling the blockbuster deal “a lot of shock” during a recent interview with Jason Gay of The Wall Street Journal.
“I didn’t know how to react, how to act, what to say,” the 26-year-old told the newspaper. “I felt Dallas was my home. I had many friends there. The fans always supported me. I didn’t want to upset Dallas fans. And I didn’t want to upset Laker fans.”
Trade stunned player and league
The Mavericks’ decision to move their franchise cornerstone is widely regarded as one of the most surprising transactions in NBA history. Doncic, who wore No. 77 in Dallas and now in Los Angeles, had repeatedly said he hoped to spend his entire career with the Mavericks.
Photographs from April 9, 2025 show the guard in a Lakers uniform celebrating a second-quarter basket against his former team at American Airlines Center in Dallas, underscoring how quickly circumstances changed for a player who once seemed inseparable from the franchise that drafted him.
Fans welcomed him on both coasts
While many Mavericks supporters expressed anger over the organization’s decision, their frustration was directed at the Dallas front office, and Doncic received loud cheers when he played his first road game back in Texas. Meanwhile, the Lakers have worked to help the superstar settle into Los Angeles, where he is already forging a new bond with the team’s fan base.
Eye on a championship
Doncic enters the 2025-26 campaign—his first full season in purple and gold—as the focal point of a franchise that measures success strictly by championships. He has publicly embraced that expectation, aligning his goals with the Lakers’ long-standing title-or-bust philosophy.
Source: Lakers Nation
