Ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James spoke honestly about what it will mean for his teammate and co-star, Luka Doncic. It’s his first time back in Dallas, but LeBron says it’s not comparable to when he first returned to Cleveland back in 2010.
“His situation’s gonna be different than mine,” said James. “I think he’ll get a stand ovation and people will clap and cheer and he’ll hear his name a lot. That’s what I’m expecting. My situation was different, he had no choice in the matter of what happened in his situation. I did, so it was different for me.”
LeBron James grew up in Akron, Ohio, and he got to represent his home state straight out of the draft after being picked first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James became a hero for the franchise and led them to prominence in his first seven seasons with the team.
In the summer of 2010, James left the Cavaliers and decided to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat. In the eyes of the fans, James abandoned the Cavaliers and failed to deliver on his promise of winning a championship. Many people flamed LeBron for taking the “easy way out” and opting to join other stars instead of bringing a championship to his original team.
When LeBron made his first return back to Cleveland in December of 2010, it was one of the most hostile environments we’d ever seen. Cavs fans hated LeBron and they wanted to show it that night with heavy boos and insulting signs that accused him of being a quitter.
Despite the overwhelming negativity, LeBron still managed to play well in that game with 38 points, five rebounds, and eight assists on 60.0% shooting. He ignored the noise and dominated the game to lead his team to an easy victory.
In the case of Luka Doncic, the details of his return are not the same. Unlike the King, Doncic did not voluntarily leave his team. He was loyal to the Mavericks and likely would have signed an extension had GM Nico Harrison not traded him out of the blue.
Nobody was expecting the deal, but the Mavericks were the ones who initiated trade talks. They gave up on Luka Doncic due to his poor work ethic, bad defense, and lackluster conditioning and they are expecting to be better now that he’s gone.
Luka did not betray the Mavericks, they betrayed him and the fans understand this. Unlike what happened with LeBron, Mavericks fans will almost surely embrace the Slovenian star and they will welcome Doncic back with open arms.
As long as he’s healthy, we can expect a big performance from Doncic in his Dallas return, and the Lakers will need every bit of it to escape with the win. At 26 years old, he’s in the prime of his career and the Lakers have tasked him with leading them into the future.
This season, through 47 games, Luka is averaging 27.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game on 42.1% shooting. At 48-31, the Lakers are third in the West and tomorrow’s game against the Mavericks could have major implications on where they finish in the title race.
