LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic was the last starter introduced by the Los Angeles Lakers, an honor normally reserved for LeBron James. When Doncic jogged into the spotlight on a darkened court through a cordon of his new teammates, his new fans stood and roared while wearing thousands of gold T-shirts with his name and number.
Even a young superstar could feel the magnificence of the moment.
“I was a little nervous before,” Doncic said. “I (don’t remember) the last time I was nervous before the game. But once I stepped on the court again, it was fun. Just being out there, it felt amazing.”
Doncic’s debut with the Lakers was brief and successful Monday night, but it piqued the anticipation of everybody involved for his days and years ahead in Los Angeles.
Doncic scored 14 points while playing just 23 minutes, immediately getting into the flow with James and his teammates during Los Angeles’ 132-113 victory over the Utah Jazz. Doncic added five rebounds and four assists — none prettier than a three-quarter-court strike to James for a layup late in the first half.
Doncic was grateful to be playing basketball after nearly seven weeks of injury absence, and he was happy to begin to move past the upheaval in his life ever since the Dallas Mavericks shocked the sports world 10 days ago by trading their 25-year-old centerpiece and NBA scoring champion.
Doncic got multiple standing ovations from a Los Angeles crowd wearing thousands of No. 77 shirts, but his pregame introduction was something he’ll remember for a long time.
“Just the amount of cheering there was in the arena was absolutely unbelievable,” Doncic said. “That was my favorite part — and to play again.”
Doncic said James texted him in the morning and offered to do anything to help — and Doncic took him up on it by taking the final intro spot. They’ll swap for the Lakers’ next home game next week, Doncic said with a grin.
“Shows what kind of person he is,” Doncic said. “He let me have my moment.”
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The Slovenian scorer’s first bucket was a 3-pointer in the opening minutes on his second shot. Doncic scored 11 points while Los Angeles streaked out to a 25-point halftime lead, and he sat down for good with 3:07 left in the third quarter with the Lakers far ahead in their sixth consecutive victory.
The game was Doncic’s first since he strained his left calf on Christmas. After a full week to settle in Los Angeles and to return to full strength, Doncic joined James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes as starters for the streaking Lakers, who had won 11 of 13 even before adding a five-time All-NBA selection to their lineup.
The Lakers have Doncic on a minutes restriction after his injury absence. His legs aren’t quite there yet — he went 1 for 7 on 3-point attempts in his debut — but his playmaking immediately meshed with his new teammates.
Doncic’s first touch was an alley-oop assist to Hayes, and he hit his 3-pointer moments later. He was serenaded with “Luka! Luka!” chants at the first dead ball, and several times thereafter.
“I just think it could be a thing of beauty, the way we can manipulate the game on the offensive end and get what we want every single possession,” said Reaves, who scored 22 points. “Luka is one of the best passers in the world … but yeah, I think it’s just the high-level IQ going along with pieces that really fit. (Doncic and James) can shoot the ball, pass the ball, and really play the right way.”
That crowd included Dirk Nowitzki, who overlapped with Doncic for one season in Dallas and served as his mentor. Doncic appeared to be the natural heir to the German Hall of Famer’s incredible run in Dallas — until current Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison decided otherwise.
Coach JJ Redick, who played alongside Doncic for 13 games in 2021 with the Mavericks, was pleased by Doncic’s poise and patience in a landmark game.
“Knowing Luka, whether he will admit this or not, there was probably a little bit of nerves playing for the Lakers for the first time, and the anticipation that this building had,” Redick said. “I thought he handled it really well, and he played really well tonight. … He didn’t make it about Luka. He made it about playing good basketball and playing Laker basketball.”
James returned from a one-game injury absence Monday when the Lakers began a home-and-home set with the Jazz heading into the All-Star break.
“I don’t see any world where those two playing together isn’t a good thing,” Utah coach Will Hardy said. “Their processing speed mentally is incredible, and so I’m sure they’ll figure it out.”
Doncic had watched three straight Lakers victories from their bench since arriving in Los Angeles a week ago. Reaves scored a career-high 45 points to lead the Lakers past Indiana 124-117 on Saturday without Doncic or James, who sat out to rest his sore ankle.
Doncic began Monday by donating $500,000 to fire recovery efforts in his new community, making an immediate impression with his pledge to help with the damage caused by the rampant wildfires that devastated parts of Southern California last month — including Pacific Palisades, where Redick’s home was lost.
“It’s been so sad to see and learn more about the damage from the wildfires as I landed in LA,” Doncic wrote on his Luka Doncic Foundation’s social media channels. “I can’t believe it, and I feel for all the kids who lost their homes, schools and the places where they used to play with their friends.”
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Doncic signed his note: “Your new neighbor.”
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