Luka Doncic golden in his Lakers debut

By Alexandria Evans

Ten days post arguably the most shocking trade in NBA history, the man at the center of it made his debut on his new home court.

Chants, cheers, and #77 jerseys filled Crypto.com Arena as Luka Doncic took the court for his first official start as a Los Angeles Laker.

“I was a little nervous before. But once I stepped on the court again, it was fun. Just being out there, it felt amazing.” Doncic said of his highly anticipated debut. “…I told to myself this is what I do, this is what I enjoy most doing.”

Despite the nerves, the newbie reportedly got “chills” from a fiery pre-game message from Lebron James, in which James explicitly told him to “Be your f—ing self. Don’t fit in, fit the f— out. Be yourself.”

Though his time on the court was limited, the Slovenia four-time All-Star made the most of it scoring 14 points with five rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes. His first touch was an electric alley-oop to fellow starter Jaxson Hayes, and his first point was a three-pointer on his second shot. With eight minutes left in the first, Doncic stepped back and pulled up for a three to the delight of the crowd.

This was the superstar guard’s first time taking the court since Christmas Day after suffering a left-calf strain in the Maverick’s loss to the Timberwolves. He still managed to mesh with his teammates and play his part while limiting unnecessary strain.

“Just the amount of cheering there was in the arena was absolutely unbelievable,” Doncic said. “That was my favorite part — and to play again.”

Luka Doncic is expected to suit up with his new team on Thursday again taking on the Utah Jazz.