Dallas Mavericks legend and basketball Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki will be in attendance at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles for the LA Lakers debut of former Mavericks star Luka Doncic.
Doncic, acquired by the Lakers on Feb. 2 in exchange for Anthony Davis-plus, will play in his first game in purple and gold as the Lakers take on the Jazz on Monday night at 9:30 p.m.
I will always be a Mav for life, but had to come support my guy 77 @luka7doncic in the first game of his new chapter! — Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) February 11, 2025
“I will always be a Mav for life,” Nowitzki posted on social media, “but had to come support my guy 77 [Luka Doncic] in the first game of his new chapter.”
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Nowitzki, who played in over 1,500 games across 21 seasons for the Dallas Mavericks, has not yet publicly commented on the franchise’s trade of Doncic, whom Nowitzki played with for one season in 2018-19. At least, not more than the sad-face emoji he posted on social media shortly after the trade.
😳 — Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) February 2, 2025
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Nowitzki’s extended career with the Mavericks is perhaps one of the reasons Mavs fans have been so incensed by the trade of Doncic, including when fans turned Nowitzki’s statue outside American Airlines Center into a makeshift memorial the night Doncic was traded.
Nowitzki and Doncic were close while Doncic played in Dallas, with a sort of passing-the-torch aspect to their relationship. That could be a reason Nowitzki feels obligated to take in Doncic’s first game with his new team.
Twitter: @coylio33
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