Less than 24 hours after the blockbuster trade was announced, Doncic arrived in the City of Angels.
DALLAS — Less than 24 hours after being traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers, Luka Doncic touched down in the City of Angels Sunday night.
The news that Mavs superstar Doncic, along with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris were being traded to the Lakers in exchange for the Lakers’ Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick in one of the more shocking trades in NBA history broke Saturday night. The trade was a three-team deal that includes the Utah Jazz.
By Sunday night, Doncic was filmed stepping off of a plane in Los Angeles and flashing an LA hand gesture for waiting cameras in a nod to his new team.
The Lakers shared the video of Doncic’s arrival to their social media pages, writing “first moments in the City of Angels. Welcome to LA, Luka!” and “Can’t spell Luka without LA.”
Ahead of touching down in Los Angeles, Doncic shared an emotional tribute to his fans back in Dallas as well as a message to his new team on his social media pages.
In his letter to Mavs fans, Doncic shared his experience coming to the Mavericks as a “young kid from Slovenia.” The Mavericks traded with the Atlanta Hawks to snag Luka with the third pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
“In good times and bad, from injuries to the NBA Finals, your support never changed,” the post read. “Thank you for not only sharing in my joy in our best moment, but also for lifting me up when I needed it most.”
Shortly after that, Doncic wrote another post, quote tweeting the Lakers’ welcome to him.
“Grateful for this amazing opportunity. Basketball means everything to me, and no matter where I play the game, I’ll do so with the same joy, passion and goal – to win championships,” Luka’s post read.
