Luka Dončić and the Lakers played his former team at American Airlines Center in Dallas Saturday. Even a year after the shocking trade that sent the superstar guard from the Mavericks to the Lakers, some old habits die hard.
He seemed to have a great time returning to Dallas, especially as he dropped 33 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in a 116-110 Lakers win. Dončić surprised over 20 Mavs fans with a suite for the game, plus he gifted them jerseys and shoes. He accidentally started to head toward the Mavs locker room at halftime. He prepared a postgame jersey swap with former teammate and Mavs forward Naji Marshall, but Dončić made sure not to get the usual photo op on the floor for a hilarious reason.
“Hey Naj, let’s sit in the back, I don’t want to show my body,” Dončić said through a smile postgame.
Luka Doncic did a jersey swap with Naji Marshall in the locker room because he didn’t want to show his body
(h/t @LukaUpdates)pic.twitter.com/M0tmBXo6L3
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) January 25, 2026
The relatable moment may have been a subtle jab at the Mavs’ brass and specifically former general manager Nico Harrison, who shared his concerns about Dončić’s weight and conditioning following the controversial trade, although Dončić dragged Dallas to the NBA Finals a season earlier.
In his first full season as a Laker, Dončić is leading the NBA in scoring with 33.4 points per game while also averaging the third most assists across the league with 8.7 dimes a night. The Lakers are 27-17 and fifth place in the loaded Western Conference, while Dallas sits at 19-27 as the franchise builds around last year’s top pick Cooper Flagg.
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