Luka Dončić returned to Dallas as a member of the Lakers for the second time on Saturday night. It’s still a surreal sight to watch the superstar battle against the Mavericks adorned in purple and gold. Last night’s game showed it’s still a bit weird for Dončić, too— he admitted he instinctively began to walk to the Dallas locker room at halftime of the 116-110 Los Angeles win.
Dončić had 33 points and 11 assists in the victory, but garnered the most praise for an extremely cool pregame surprise he gave a group of Mavericks fans. During the game ESPN revealed Dončić surprised over 20 Dallas fans by buying them a suite for the game, as well as jerseys and shoes. Additionally he met up with the group pregame. The fans were chosen because Dončić appreciated their support of him online; he had never met them before.
“Luka surprised a group of fans by buying a suite for them,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahom reported on the broadcast. “Twenty-two fans, people had never met before. But he was especially touched by their support online in the wake of the trade. He had his business manager reach out to them, invite them to the game, a pregame meet-and-greet. One fan was so touched by that, the man broke down in tears. They showed up to the suite, they all got gift bags, Luka 5s, Lakers Luka jerseys, and some Luka gear.”
Luka surprised 22 Mavs fans with an area suite, jerseys, and shoes 🥺
It’ll always be love between Luka and Dallas 💙 pic.twitter.com/wvQypwMUp9
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 25, 2026
What an incredibly awesome move. A true reflection of how strongly Dončić’s connection persists with the Mavericks fanbase, as well as how special it remains. Very few other stars on Dončić’s tier are even aware of what their fans might be saying about them online, much less take notice and go through no small effort to reward their support. It’s a genuinely remarkable gesture by the 26-year-old star.
Who says tweeting doesn’t pay off? What a night for those Mavericks fans.
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