Lakers' Luka Doncic Receives Tribute Video, Standing Ovation from Mavs Fans in Return

Dallas Mavericks fans were quite upset when the team traded Luka Dončić.

But they were always going to welcome him back with open arms.

Dončić arrived at American Airlines Center for the first time as a visitor and member of the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. He was a member of the Mavericks every other time he played in the arena, but Dallas traded the franchise icon to the Purple and Gold in a shocking move ahead of February's deadline.

It was such a jarring trade because there was no advance indication it would happen. It was not as if Dončić publicly requested a trade or seemingly wanted out, so there was no reason for Mavericks fans to have any ill will toward the star.

And they certainly didn't Wednesday as they greeted him with a standing ovation as he was introduced following an emotional tribute video that had him in tears:

While Dončić was just 25 years old when he was traded, he already accomplished enough to forever be a Mavericks icon.

Over the course of seven seasons he was a five-time All-NBA selection, five-time All-Star, a scoring champion in 2023-24, the 2018-19 Rookie of the Year and last year's Western Conference Finals MVP.

He helped lead Dallas to the 2024 NBA Finals and is the franchise's all-time leader in points per game (28.6), triple-doubles (80) and player efficiency rating (25.7), among other categories, per Basketball Reference.

It would have been anything but surprising if he remained with the Mavericks his entire career much like Dirk Nowitzki, which would have only further endeared him to the fans who protested outside the stadium when he was traded.

Alas, Dallas' front office ended the chances at that with the stunning trade and now has to deal with facing him as an opponent.