Dirk Nowitzki Reportedly Will Attend Luka Doncic's Return to Dallas in Lakers vs. Mavs

Dallas Mavericks legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki will be in attendance Wednesday when the Mavs host the Los Angeles Lakers and welcome back Luka Dončić since the team traded the five-time All-NBA First Team player to L.A. on Feb. 1.

ESPN's Tim MacMahon relayed the news while noting Nowitzki's last attended NBA game as well.

That game occurred on Feb. 25, when Dončić posted a 19-point, 15-rebound, 12-assist triple-double in a 107-99 win.

This is a big game for both teams.

The Lakers have a tenuous hold on the Western Conference's No. 3 seed, a game up on four teams tied for fourth place. They'd obviously like to hold onto that spot, but at minimum, the Lakers would like a top-six seed to clinch playoffs and avoid the play-in tournament.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks need just one win (or one Phoenix Suns loss) to clinch their play-in spot. They'd also like to jump over the ninth-place Sacramento Kings to earn a home game in the play-in tournament as well.

Of course, the return of Dončić dwarfs all that as the former franchise cornerstone and legend returns to Dallas after a trade that stunned the fanbase and the sports world at-large. The beloved player just led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last year, marking the team's third Western Conference title in franchise history.

Eight months later, his career in Dallas was over. He's thriving in L.A., which could certainly engineer a championship run with him aboard. Meanwhile, it's been tough sledding for the Mavericks, although they've been hit quite hard with injuries, namely a season-ending torn ACL for Kyrie Irving.

Tipoff in Dallas is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.