Luka Doncic: "After watching the video, I thought there was no way he would play the game"

Luka Doncic crushed the Dallas Mavericks with 45 points in his return with the Los Angeles Lakers. It was the first time he was at the American Airlines Center since being traded 2 months and 8 days ago. That's when Nico Harrison made the play of his life and sent him to LA in exchange for Anthony Davis. You know, they say it's the defenses that win championships.

It was very emotional for Luka, who cried during the tribute video that the Mavs played on screen before the match. Below are his reactions and those of different figures like JJ Redick, Jason Kidd, LeBron James, and AD:

Luka Doncic:
- "After that video, I thought, 'There's no way I'll play this game.' There were so many emotions."

- "It was very important because everyone backed me. Everyone supported me, from the coaches to the players, and we're trying to build something special here. It was really, really, really nice to see."

- "It was a bit of both, happiness and anger. But it's nice to see some familiar faces here... I really appreciate the fans, for the way they reacted towards me."

- "Talking about closure is complicated because I spent a lot of time here. Great moments. But it's becoming more and more normal. Now I have to focus on other things."

JJ Redick:
- "I thought he was going to score 50, I was disappointed."

"Greg [St. Jean] told me, 'This is going to be incredible for our group, experiencing this with him and him living it with them.' Does that mean we're going to win a championship or reach the conference finals? I don't know. But it was an amazing moment for everyone."

- "He got in rhythm very early, and never lost that rhythm."

Anthony Davis:
- "The trade took both of us by surprise. But that was two months ago. It's in the past. We can't do anything about it now. I just said to him, 'Good game.' He played a great game. It's a matter of respect."

Jason Kidd:
- "Trades happen, this won't be the last one. Some have compared it to Babe Ruth, which is pretty cool."

Daniel Gafford:
- "I saw him crying during the tribute video. I was whispering to myself: 'That's how it should be'... It was a great night for him, undoubtedly."

LeBron James:
- "You could call it an out-of-body experience because he was focused from start to finish."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Luka Doncic: "Tras el vídeo pensé que no había manera de que jugara el partido"