Lakers' LeBron James Sounds Off on Luka Doncic Facing His Former Team

The Los Angeles Lakers earned a tough and hard-fought win on Tuesday night when they faced their conference rival, the Dallas Mavericks.

This game was one everyone had their eyes on, as it was the first time that the newest Lakers superstar guard, Luka Dončić, faced off against his former team.

The emotions were all over the place for the 25-year-old, and he was not afraid to admit it. After the game, Dončić admitted that he was full of emotion and he did not sleep that much.

A month ago, no one would have thought that Dončić would be traded. He was set to be the next Dirk Nowitzki and eventually lead Dallas to another title. However, Nico Harrison and ownership had other plans.

Lakers superstar LeBron James, who knows a thing or two about facing his former teams and touched on the matter.

"Obviously there's a lot of emotion that goes in when you give so much to a franchise and you sacrifice for a franchise and you have that type of love and respect for a franchise -- throughout all the journeys," James said of Doncic. "They went to the Finals, all that stuff. He's grown from being an 18-, 19-year-old kid to now a 25-year-old man with a family. ... And when you move on or they move on from you, it's very emotional, obviously. It's very taxing.

"It's probably a lot of things that were going on in his head that probably didn't even involve the game itself. And with that said, I thought he handled it tremendously."

James has played for three teams in his career, and at times, he received a warm welcome, and at other times, he didn't. Most notably, James did not receive a warm welcome when he first returned to Cleveland after the summer of 2010 and the broadcast of "The Decision."

James left Cleveland for the Miami Heat. Although it ended up being a wise decision for himself, he received much backlash due to how he handled that situation.

In the case of Dončić, he did not want to leave, so we should expect a warm welcome from Mavericks fans once he returns to the Lone Star State on April 9.

The Lakers have won 15 of their last 19 games, and they have only touched the surface with Dončić and James.

More Lakers: How Many Points Did Luka Doncic Score in Revenge Game vs. Mavericks?

Lakers Crowd Erupts With Chant Aimed at Mavericks GM Nico Harrison

For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.