Lakers' Luka Doncic directly rebukes criticism that Mavericks have spewed since trade

With Luka Doncic returning to Dallas, he wants to set the record straight on something.

Mar 22, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts to a foul call against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Luka Doncic is making his first return to Dallas tonight, as the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Mavericks in the American Airlines Center. It will be one of the more fascinating regular season games in NBA history and it doesn't really have anything to do with the playoff seeding implications, although that is a factor.

Mavericks fans will be cheering for Luka Doncic, as they wish he was still on the team, but the front office and ownership have done nothing but criticize their former superstar since dumping him in the middle of the night in February.

READ MORE: Luka Doncic ejected from Lakers-Thunder prior to return game against Mavericks

Apr 6, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) runs down the court during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Among the biggest criticisms that have come out since the trade is that the Mavericks (Nico Harrison) don't believe Doncic is a hard worker, doesn't have that "Mamba Mentality" that Kobe Bryant possessed, and has conditioning issues. Ownership also proved they don't know what they're talking about when mentioning Shaquille O'Neal and a hard work ethic in the same sentence Doncic directly challenged those claims in an interview with Dan Woike of the LA Times.

"They have no idea," Doncic said of those claims. "...I didn't end up here by mistake, you know? I worked my ass off to be here. So, it's kinda, I would say disrespectful, just sad that people say that."

Doncic is only saying what everyone else is thinking, as many people around the NBA have said you don't get to the NBA Finals, make five First-Team All-NBAs, and become one of the most accomplished 26-year-olds of all time without working hard. And he's likely to prove that against the Mavs on Wednesday night.

READ MORE: Mavericks will pay special tribute to Luka Doncic during Lakers matchup

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