Trae Young's Reaction to Luka Doncic's Emotional Return to Dallas Goes Viral: "He was never gonna leave."

Young shared his reaction to the Lakers star's first game back in Dallas, where he was drafted to

Apr 9, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) points to guard Austin Reaves (15) during the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

It was heavy night in Dallas tonight. Superstar Luka Doncic, who was the face of the Mavericks franchise since he was drafted in 2018, made his return tonight, but as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Doncic was shockingly traded to the Lakers earlier this season and it had current players and front offices around the league in disbelief. Doncic was given a tribute video before tip-off tonight and had an emotional reaction to it. There were plenty of reactions from around the league to Doncic making his return, including from Hawks point guard Trae Young, who is of course linked to Doncic since being traded on draft night from Dallas to Atlanta.

He was never gonna leave… https://t.co/NSkva1tGy6

— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) April 10, 2025

Luka wiping tears after watching Mavs tribute video 🥺 pic.twitter.com/9tYtzdW3A0

— ESPN (@espn) April 9, 2025

Young's reaction has garnered nearly 50K likes on X in the last hour.

This was a trade that reshaped the current season of the NBA and the both franchises involved for years to come. Just one season after leading the Mavericks to the NBA Finals (where they lost convincingly to the Celtics), the Mavericks traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a first round pick. The move has made the Lakers a legitimate threat to win the NBA Finals, while the Mavs have been in a tailspin.

Davis has not been able to play much due to being injured, point guard Kyrie Irving tore his ACL in a game earlier this season and won't return, and Dallas traded away Quentin Grimes, who has been playing fantastic since joining Philadelphia. For anyone that follows the NBA, it is still stunning to see Luka Doncic in a Lakers uniform alongside LeBron James. This is a night that is not soon to be forgotten by the Mavs, Lakers, and most importantly, for Doncic.

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