Luka Doncic’s Anticipated Lakers Debut Revealed as He Nears Return From Injury

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Feb 2, 2025 12:59 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks pulled off one of the biggest trades in NBA history on Saturday night, with the Mavericks sending 25-year-old star guard Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick.

Now, with Doncic’s highly anticipated Lakers debut on the horizon, ESPN's Shams Charania revealed when fans can expect to see the star guard hit the court for the first time in a Lakers uniform.

"Luka Dončić has been returning to basketball activities since that calf injury that he had, the calf strain," Charania said. "He's had multiple calf strains over the last several years. He's had two calf injuries just this year. But he has returned to practice and, from what I'm told, the goal is for him to make his Lakers debut before the All-Star break."

REPORT: The “goal is for” Luka Dončić to make his Lakers debut before the All-Star break, per Shams. pic.twitter.com/n0ZBp2GVGa
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) February 2, 2025

The All-Star Break runs from Feb. 14 to Feb. 16, meaning Doncic’s debut could come in one of the games leading up to it, which include matchups against the Clippers, Warriors, Pacers, or the Jazz, whom they play twice on Feb. 10 and Feb. 12. After the All-Star hiatus, the Lakers won’t play again until Feb. 19 when they face the Hornets.

This season, before suffering his calf injury, Doncic was averaging an impressive 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 2.0 steals. Since entering the league in 2018, he has averaged 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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