ESPN Adjusts Schedule to Air Luka Doncic Lakers Debut

Feb 4, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic poses for photos with general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick at UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

ESPN will officially air the potential debut of the newest Lakers superstar, Luka Dončić, on Saturday. 

ESPN PR annoucned via X. 

Programming Update: @ESPNNBA will present Luka Dončić's expected Lakers debut

🏀 Saturday | 4p ET | Indiana Pacers vs Los Angeles Lakers | ESPN, ESPN+, Disney+

More: https://t.co/WPuGyMbftH pic.twitter.com/paQRvxHe9W

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) February 5, 2025

The Lakers have yet to announce that Dončić will make his L.A. debut on Saturday, but ESPN is certainly anticipating it to be against the Indiana Pacers this weekend. 

Dončić has missed over a month of basketball due to a calf strain that has kept him out since Christmas Day. 

The 25-year-old was traded on Saturday night in one of the most stunning and shocking trades in all of the sport. The Dallas Mavericks traded Dončić for Lakers superstar center Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick. 

It was a move that nobody saw coming, and it will undoubtedly be the biggest trade as we approach the 2025 NBA trade deadline. It was a shock to many, including the Lakers superstar forward and newest teammate of Dončić, LeBron James. 

After the Lakers win on Tuesday over the Los Angeles Clippers, he admitted that he thought the trade was a hoax. 

"It still pretty much didn't seem real until I saw Luka today and I saw a clip of AD at the Dallas shootaround," James said after the game. "That's when it finally hit me, like, 'Oh s---, this is real.'"

Dončić is a young megastar who will be the face of the Lakers franchise for the next seven to ten years. 

Dončić has already accomplished so much in his career. He is one of three players in league history, joining Kevin Durant and Tim Duncan, to garner five All-NBA First Team selections before age 26. 

The 25-year-old has tallied 12,089 points, 3,655 rebounds, and 3,489 assists and is one of two players in NBA history to record at least 10,000 points, 3,000 rebounds, and 3,000 assists through their first 400 career games (Oscar Robertson). 

This season alone, Dončić was well on his way to becoming an All-Star and making another All-NBA selection, averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 2.0 steals in 35.7 minutes. 

In 422 career NBA regular season games (all starts) across seven campaigns with Dallas (2018-25), Dončić has averaged 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.2 steals in 34.9 minutes. 

The anticipation of Dončić's Lakers debut is at an all-time high, and all eyes will be on the Lakers vs. Pacers game at 1 p.m. PT.

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