Luka Doncic is excited to join the Lakers after the shock of his stunning trade away from Dallas
Sports
Doncic is a five-time All-NBA selection and a five-time All-Star.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Luka Doncic was nearly asleep last Saturday night in Dallas when his phone buzzed. Only then did he learn that the Mavericks had just stunned the sports world by trading him to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“You can imagine how surprised I was,” Doncic said. “I had to check if it was April 1. I didn’t really believe it.”
The superstar has begun to recover after his first two days in LA, and he’s growing increasingly excited about a new chapter with LeBron James and his famed new team on the sunny West Coast.
And while his past and future teammates say Doncic has never lacked motivation to be great, he has all the fuel he’ll ever need after the Mavericks inherently questioned his talent and determination by making this seismic trade.
“It was a big shock,” Doncic said. “(Dallas) was home, so it was really hard moments for me. … (But now) I get to play in the greatest club in the world, and I’m excited for this new journey.”
The Lakers formally welcomed Doncic on Tuesday, less than three days after they traded Anthony Davis and Max Christie in a three-team deal for the Slovenian scorer who won his first scoring title last season before leading the Mavs to the NBA Finals.
Doncic is a five-time All-NBA selection and a five-time All-Star.
Stars of Doncic’s age and accomplishments are almost never traded in any sport, and particularly not in such an abrupt manner. But when Dallas decided to move on from its 25-year-old centerpiece, the Lakers eagerly gave up Davis — one of basketball’s best big men — to make it happen.
Doncic is still processing the upheaval, but he already is seeing the limitless upside of a career in Los Angeles that will begin alongside the 40-year-old James, the top scorer in NBA history.
“Honestly, it was hard at first,” Doncic said. “That first day was really hard. I felt like these last 48 hours was one month.
Emotionally, it was really hard, but today was much better. This is the Lakers. It’s one of the best clubs in history, so I’m excited to be here.”
