Los Angeles rolled out the red carpet and Luka Doncic obliged with an encouraging performance as the Lakers rolled past the Utah Jazz on Monday night.
Every fan inside Crypto.com Arena was given a number 77 shirt and even LeBron James wore one during the pregame warmup as Doncic made his eagerly-anticipated debut following his trade from the Dallas Mavericks.
James also sacrificed his usual position as the last member of the starting five to be called out by the stadium announcer, enabling Doncic to emerge through the darkness to a hero’s ovation.
At guard. Number 77. From Slovenia. LUUUUUUUUKAAAA DONČIĆ pic.twitter.com/YxjdAvapjA
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 11, 2025
It felt a significant moment and Doncic admitted afterwards he had felt some pre-game butterflies.
The Slovenian superstar said: “I was a little nervous before. 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 scored 14 points in 24 minutes, and added five rebounds and four assists, as he made a tentative return from a calf injury that has sidelined him for seven weeks.
“Just the amount of cheering there was in the arena was absolutely unbelievable,” Doncic said. “That was my favorite part – and to play again.”
SIX in a row for the squad pic.twitter.com/o4ehNPRLlI
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 11, 2025
The Lakers won 132-113 and coach JJ Redick, a former team-mate of Doncic in Dallas, was pleased with the 25-year-old’s early impact.
“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 top-scored for the Lakers with 24 points while adding seven rebounds and eight assists.
