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Luka Doncic Reveals LeBron James Gave Him Special Introduction Choice for Lakers Debut

The Los Angeles Lakers' newest superstar revealed that LeBron James gave him a special introduction choice for his first L.A. game.
Gabe Smallson|
Feb 10, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) looks to make a long pass down court in the first half against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Feb 10, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) looks to make a long pass down court in the first half against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers finally got their first look at Luka Doncic in purple and gold.

Monday, Feb. 10, marked the date of Doncic's debut for L.A., as the Lakers pounded the Utah Jazz at home 132-113.

Fans may have noticed a slight edit pregame that was unconventional for the team, but the 25-year-old Slovenian revealed after the victory a text he shared with fellow superstar LeBron James.

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When the starting lineups are announced ahead of Lakers home games, the obvious last name of the starting five is LeBron, as fans always give the NBA's all-time scoring leader a ferocious ovation. Doncic told reporters that the future Hall of Famer gave special consideration to his team's newest guard.

It was then revealed why Doncic was announced last Monday evening.

"He texted me in the morning, he said whatever you want," Doncic said in his postgame presser.

Doncic also spoke on what it meant for James to reach out in the way that he did

"For him to text me that, it's just amazing, so it shows what kind of person he is and he let me have my moment, so I really appreciate it," Doncic added.

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The Lakers pulled out all the stops to make sure their Slovenian superstar was welcomed as each fan in attendance at Crypto.com Arena received a Doncic replica jersey T-shirt.

It was even the warmup shirt of choice for the 21-time All-Star ahead of the contest.

Doncic played 24 minutes in his Lakers debut and dropeed 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Still shaking off the rust of not playing since Christmas Day, he went 1-7 from beyond the arc, but dazzled with his lobs, euro steps, and no-look passes.

James led the team in scoring with 24 points while also adding eight assists and seven rebounds while Austin Reaves followed notching 22 points, nine boards, and four assists.

The Lakers look to make a major push to the playoffs after the All-Star break as they hope that this is only the beginning of more greatness with Doncic and James sharing the floor.

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For the latest Los Angeles Lakers news and notes, stay glued to Lakers On SI.

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Gabe Smallson
GABE SMALLSON

Gabe Smallson is a sportswriter based in Los Angeles. His focus is sports and entertainment content. Gabe has previously worked at DodgersNation and Newsweek. He graduated from San Francisco State University in 2020 and is a Masters Candidate at the University of Southern California. You can get in touch with Gabe by emailing gabe.smallson@lasportsreport.com. You can find him on X @gabesmallson

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