For Luka Doncic, a teary return to Dallas

DALLAS — Luka Doncic entered the court with the Los Angeles Lakers for his first game back in Dallas to cheers in an arena where draped over every seat was a T-shirt with “Hvala za vse” across the front.

DALLAS — Luka Doncic entered the court with the Los Angeles Lakers for his first game back in Dallas to cheers in an arena where draped over every seat was a T-shirt with “Hvala za vse” across the front.

That Slovenian phrase translates to “thank you for everything.”

Then came the tribute, a video of Doncic’s time with the Mavericks after the rest of the Lakers starting lineup had been introduced Wednesday night before his first game back in Dallas.

That left Doncic alone on the bench for more than two minutes looking up to some of his many highlights in Dallas — from his NBA rookie of the year season into last year’s NBA Finals — though he didn’t make it all the way through before putting his head down and wiping away tears. His eyes were still red once he was introduced and came on the court with his teammates who surrounded him, including several hugs.

Everyone knew it was going to be an emotional night with Doncic wearing his No. 77 jersey for the Lakers. It was for both the 26-year-old from Slovenia and those Mavericks fans who were there when he wore that number in Mavericks blue the first 5 1/2 seasons of his career.

https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/nba/luka-doncic-dallas-mavericks-lakers-rcna200539

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