Emotional Return For Luka Doncic And Mavericks Fans In His 1st Game At Dallas Since Trade To Lakers

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 before his first game back in Dallas on Wednesday night, when he scored 45 points to match a season high in a 112-97 victory that clinched a playoff spot for the Lakers.

"Brought tears to my eyes," Doncic told ESPN right after the game. "I came as a young kid here, was 18, and not knowing what to expect from NBA, and the Mavericks made me feel like home, and it's just a lot of great, great memories."

Doncic was 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.