Emotions poured out of Luka Doncic before he took the court against his former team in Dallas in the Los Angeles Lakers' 112-97 win over the Mavericks on Wednesday night. A teary-eyed Doncic watched as the Mavericks played a tribute video just months after the five-time All-Star was shockingly dealt to the Lakers after spending the first seven seasons of his career in Dallas.
Then, Doncic went out and scored a game-high 45 points to help the Lakers earn the victory. Speaking to ESPN's Lisa Salters on the court after the game, he admitted that it was difficult to get into a playing mindset after watching the emotional tribute. Doncic took some more time to reflect after taking to the podium to speak to the media.
Which part of the video made him most emotional?
"I mean, all of it for sure, but I'll probably say the shot in the [Western] conference finals," Doncic said. "We were always the underdog in every series so the way we played together and came together—it was just another level. And everybody was locked in."
"And I would say that was the moment. When I remembered last year."
The shot Doncic is referring to occurred in Game 2 of the Mavs' five-game triumph over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the conference finals last year. It was a thrilling moment in a year filled with them for Doncic and the Mavs, who advanced to the NBA Finals where they were eventually bested by the Boston Celtics. But beyond the team's success, Doncic forged unbreakable relationships with players on the Mavericks.
"Yeah, those are my brothers," Doncic said. "I know we're not on the same team now but I'll always have contact with them. We went to wars together and it was nice to see everybody."
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Luka Doncic Explains Which Part Of Mavericks Tribute Video Made Him Most Emotional.
