Most of the time in the modern NBA, when a star returns to his previous arena, he faces a hostile crowd because he chose to leave. That wasn’t the case for Luka Dončić. By all accounts, the five-time All-NBA point guard planned to sign a super max extension with the Dallas Mavericks this offseason. But the Mavericks ultimately were not comfortable making such a commitment, so they controversially traded Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers.
On Wednesday, Dončić returned to Dallas for the first time as a member of the Lakers, and unsurprisingly, he was greeted warmly by just about everyone in the building, most of whom wish he was still there. When he arrived to the arena, he was seen hugging several Mavericks staffers he knew from his time in Dallas.
Fans in the building were given shirts that said “thank you for everything” in Slovenian. The cheers started as soon as the newest Laker took the floor for warmups.
The tribute truly began, though, when the Mavericks shared a video honoring their former star during the game’s introductions. Dončić sat in tears as his old fans celebrated his return, regardless of what uniform he was wearing.
Dallas general manager Nico Harrison’s decision to trade Dončić in the first place has been widely viewed as one of the worst decisions an NBA team has ever made. Mavs coach Jason Kidd accidentally underlined that sentiment before the game, when he said it’s “kinda cool” that some are comparing this deal to the infamous Babe Ruth trade, seemingly forgetting how that move went for the Red Sox, the team that sent Ruth to the Yankees. Given the revolt plenty of Mavericks fans have staged since the deal, many in Dallas see this trade going the same way.
And the Dallas fans made their thoughts known early in the first quarter, chanting “fire Nico!” during multiple trips to the free-throw line for the Lakers. They also cheered every time Dončić touched the ball or scored. There were even some “MVP” chants when Dončić himself stepped to the foul line.
What will hurt those fans most, though, will be seeing Dončić’s reaction to the tribute. All of the reporting thus far has suggested that he wanted to stay in Dallas. He looked heartbroken watching the tribute before the game. The fans are heartbroken not to have him on their team anymore. The only people in the building happy about the deal are the ones wearing purple and gold. Now, Dončić will attempt to prove to the front office that gave him away just what a mistake they made.
