Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels grew up in San Bernardino, California. Naturally, Daniels — a huge basketball fan — was a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers. After all, San Bernardino is just under an hour away from L.A.
Daniels also played basketball. Before every game, he uses a basketball to warm up his wrist. This routine also helped improve his vision.
On Wednesday, Daniels made his rounds in New Orleans on radio row for Super Bowl LIX. He is in town for Thursday’s NFL Honors, where he is expected to be named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Daniels answered plenty of questions, from his record-breaking rookie season to his Super Bowl pick, but he also weighed in on his favorite NBA team’s recent trade. Last Saturday night, the Lakers shocked the world by trading Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic. The trade was so shocking that ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania had to send a follow-up tweet that the trade was indeed real.
“I was surprised, I didn’t believe it at first,” Daniels told Dianna Russini of The Athletic on the “Scoop City” podcast. “But, I mean, selfishly, I’m happy. I mean, we got Luka. Obviously, everybody’s seen what he’s done at such a young age, so I’m excited.”
Daniels said he couldn’t believe the Mavs dealt Doncic to the Lakers.
Jayden Daniels is a rising star, the Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite… and a HUGE Lakers fan.
So before he and I started talking football, I had to ask him about the Luka Dončić trade.
Full interview: https://t.co/8uvNsQYBlU pic.twitter.com/ITfFL2sOdP
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) February 5, 2025
“I don’t know, I asked the same question, but I’m not complaining, man. I’m trying to go to a Laker game real soon.”
Going to a Laker game shouldn’t be a problem for Daniels. In addition to now being an NFL star, one of the Commanders’ minority owners is Magic Johnson.
