Jan 12, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) shoots against Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) during overtime at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

'Dream come true'... Luka Doncic reacts to playing with LeBron James on Lakers

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Feb 4, 2025 1:55 PM ET

Luka Doncic had his introductory press conference on Tuesday after the Dallas Mavericks shockingly traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers over the weekend, pairing him with LeBron James, one of the greatest players in NBA history. James has always been very complimentary of Doncic, and the same goes for Doncic, who grew up watching James as a kid in Europe.

Doncic was asked about what it means to play with LeBron after this trade: "It's like a dream come true, I've always looked up to him. There's so many things I can learn from him and I'm just excited, just to learn everything. Now, I get to play with him; it's an amazing feeling."

Doncic also revealed that LeBron called him immediately after the trade was announced, saying, "He called me right away. He was in New York, so he called me right away. We didn't talk much, he said, 'I understand what you're feeling,' but that was really nice of him to call me right away and welcome me to L.A."

It will take some time to get used to seeing Doncic in a Lakers jersey and playing alongside LeBron James, one of the two greatest players in NBA history. For Mavs fans, seeing Doncic play for another franchise is going to sting for a long time, especially if they win a championship before Dallas does with this new aging core of Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and Klay Thompson.