Dallas Mavericks fans were quite upset when the team exchanged Luka Dončić.
But they were always going to welcome him with open arms.
Dončić arrived at the American Airlines Center for the first time as a visitor and member of the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. He was a member of the Mavericks every two times he played in the arena, but Dallas exchanged the franchise icon towards purple and gold in a shocking movement before the deadline of February.
It was such a shocking business because there was no prior indication that it would happen. It was not as if Dončić publicly asked for a job or apparently wanted to go out, there was therefore no reason why fans of Mavericks had a bad will towards the star.
And they certainly did not do it on Wednesday because they praised him with a standing ovation when he was presented as a result of an emotional tribute video that had made him cry:
While Dončić was only 25 years old when he was exchanged, he has already accomplished enough to be a Mavericks icon.
During seven seasons, he was a quintuple of all-nba selection, five-time all-star, scoring champion in 2023-24, the recruit of the year 2018-2019 and the MVP of the final of the west conference of last year.
He helped Dallas to the final of the NBA 2024 and is the leader of all time of the franchise in points per game (28.6), triple-double (80) and efficiency rating of players (25.7), among other categories, by basketball reference.
It would have been anything but surprising if he remained with the Mavericks all his career like Dirk Nowitzki, who would only have made him attach him to the fans who protested in front of the stadium when he was exchanged.
Alas, Dallas’s front office ended the chances with surprising trade and must now face him as adversary.
