Luka Doncic Debut: Lakers Show Love; Dirk Nowitzki Attends

Luka Doncic made his Los Angeles Lakers debut Monday night and there was no shortage of eyeballs and love.

The Slovenian finished with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes. The Lakers blew out the Utah Jazz, 132-113. Doncic shot just 5-of-14 from the field, including 1-of-7 from three. This game, against a team near the bottom of the standings, had little to do with individual stats.

Seeing LeBron James look rejuvenated tells a story in itself. The 40-year-old legend was sprinting down the floor knowing Doncic could find him and then immediately hustling back on defense. James finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in 29 minutes, including 7-of-10 shooting on his two-point attempts. He was 3-of-7 beyond the arc.

Jaxson Hayes was catching lob after lob and finished 6-for-6 from the field. Austin Reaves looked like he has the easiest job in the world, same with Rui Hachimura. Those two combined for 43 points on 14-of-24 shooting, including 6-of-11 from deep.

Lakers Pull Out All The Stops For Doncic

The Lakers made a statement even before the game began, having every seat filled with “Doncic 77” T-shirts for fans to wear in support of the superstar’s arrival.

There was palpable excitement and a sense of anticipation. The standing ovation Doncic received when his name was announced as part of the starting lineup likely could have lasted all night if the game didn’t need to begin.

As the Lakers players gathered together for a huddle, James let Doncic know there was no need to try and fit in. Rather, “fit the f*** out” and be himself.

“Luka, be your f—ing self. Don’t fit in, fit the f— out.”

-LeBron to Luka 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/qj8Tbk8M8R

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 11, 2025

The supportive messaging was well received by its intended recipient.

“Special, the way they received me, teammates, front office, everybody here,” Doncic said. “I heard a lot of noise when I was introduced, so I really appreciate it. It was a special moment.”

Nowitzki Attends For Luka But Maintains Love For Mavs

Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki was in attendance for Doncic’s debut, but erased any possibly controversy with a social media post.

“I will always be a Mav for life, but had to come support my guy 77 (Luka Doncic) in the first game of his new chapter!”

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

After the game, Doncic expressed his gratitude for Nowitzki taking the time to attend.

“A lot, man. For him to show up, great friend, always looked up to him, great mentor,” Doncic said about what it meant to him. “For him to show up, fly all the way from Dallas was amazing and I really, really appreciate it.”

In the middle of the second quarter, Doncic even had a bit of a Nowitzki tribute. Receiving the ball on the left block, Doncic posted up Johnny Juzang before hitting a turnaround, one-legged, fadeaway.

Luka Doncic hit the Dirk Nowitzki fadeaway with him in the building 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/gyeVc5QC6n

— ESPN (@espn) February 11, 2025

The Lakers improved to 32-19 on the season, good for fourth in the West. Six wins in a row has put them 1.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets for the No. 3 seed.

Next up is the Jazz again, this time in Utah for Doncic’s road debut as a Laker. The teams will then have some time off for the All-Star Break, which begins Friday.