Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers took down the Dallas Mavericks 116-110 at American Airlines Center on Saturday. Doncic was all smiles as he embraced his former teammates after the game, but he hilariously told Naji Marshall that he couldn’t give him his jersey on the court for one specific reason.
“Hey Naj, I’ll send it back,” Doncic said. “I don’t want to show my body.”
Luka was going to swap jerseys with Naji but didn’t want to show his body 😂
IG/sportscenter pic.twitter.com/m7x960CYgb
— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) January 25, 2026
We haven’t really seen Doncic swap jerseys on the court, and we now know why. The Slovenian might have slimmed down compared to years past, but he still doesn’t want to show off his body.
Of course, Doncic not taking great care of his body was said to be a big reason why the Mavericks decided to trade him to the Lakers in February 2025. They were worried he would break down, and chose to cut ties. It looked like the wrong decision at the time, and that remains the case today.
Doncic had 33 points (8-15 FG), eight rebounds, 11 assists, one steal, and one block against the Mavericks here. The 26-year-0ld is now 4-0 against his former team as a Laker.
Doncic averages 33.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game against the Mavericks while shooting 51.3% from the field and 44.1% from beyond the arc. The five-time All-Star has been utterly dominant against them.
It actually looked like Doncic was set to taste defeat here as the Mavericks led 102-87 with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The Lakers managed to turn things around, and he played a significant role in the comeback, but not in the way you’d have thought.
Doncic made some key defensive plays down the stretch, most notably drawing a charge in the final minute. It was fitting that he did this, considering how the Mavericks were preaching that defense wins championships after trading him away. They have been trending downward ever since, while he continues to shine with the Lakers.
While Doncic might not be too fond of the Mavericks’ front office and upper management, he does have a lot of love for his former teammates and the fanbase. He surprised 22 fans with some wonderful gestures before this game. They were sad to see him be traded away, as was Marshall. He once shared his reaction to finding out Doncic was going to the Lakers.
“I mean, I understood that, like, business is business as far as the NBA, but I was hurt, man. Luka’s my dawg, for real. And I love AD. That’s my guy right there. Like, he’s been great with us. You know, he welcomed us with open arms. Like, that’s my guy.”
“But as far as just personally, like, I just was hurt to lose Luka, man. I mean, it was a great time spent with him, the short time we did. And, I mean, I was just hurt to see him go.”
“Luka is just the chillest guy ever, bro. You just feel like his best friend from day one. He’s just a great dude. Never mad, just always happy. And just a Hall of Fame flamethrower when it comes to basketball.”
With how close these two were, it is no surprise that Doncic was giving Marshall his jersey. In an ideal world, these two would still be teammates.
Doncic helped the Lakers improve to 27-17 with this win, and they take on the Chicago Bulls next at the United Center on Monday at 8 PM ET.
