“It will always be strange”: Luka Doncic makes emotional confession on Mavs relationship after bittersweet exit

The Dallas Mavericks' trading Luka Doncic to the LA Lakers was not just a big NBA drama. It broke Doncic's heart, but even worse, it broke the hearts of thousands of fans in Dallas. When the Dallas Mavericks traded him, he remained silent and kept everything inside him.

While many players dream of playing for the Lakers, when Doncic arrived in LA, sorrow and heartbreak were all that could be read on his face. But Doncic kept the smile on for the camera. Finally, the emotions overpowered him when he sat in the American Airlines Center in a Lakers jersey. Even the Laker fans felt bad for a teary-eyed Doncic.

On Tuesday, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Doncic recalled the time he was made aware of the shocking trade news.

"I didn't know how to react, how to act, what to say," he said. "It was a lot of shock. I felt Dallas was my home. I had many friends there. The fans always supported me. I didn’t want to upset Dallas fans. And I didn't want to upset Laker fans."

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The Mavs sending him away still didn't make sense to Luka Doncic. He said that even after months have passed and the season had ended, he still has not gotten his closure.

"I think it will always be strange," he said about the trade. "I don't know if someday I will have closure or not. For sure, it will always be weird."

Even after his trade, comments from the Mavericks' camp kept coming about Doncic, which was an unpleasant experience for the Lakers star.

"Everyone was talking about it," Doncic says. "Even now, they still talk about it."

Luka Doncic is a man of very few words, but a player of very high magnitude. Doncic signed his extension with the Lakers this offseason and is ready to start fresh. He is the most entertaining elite player in the league, and with him, the Lakers should be set for the next 10 years.

Luka Doncic recalls his first meeting with Kobe Bryant

Luka Doncic was received wholeheartedly by the Lakers fans, given the mutual love between the NBA star and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers legend already knew how special Doncic was, and he even warned him about being a European in the NBA.

Doncic told WSJ that he met Bryant at a Nike camp just after his rookie season.

"'You're from Europe, watch out. They're going to come after you,'" Doncic recalled. "And they did."

Doncic was Gianna Bryant's favorite player. Kobe even brought her to Doncic's games. He once trash-talked the NBA star in Slovenian.

Edited by Nandjee Ranjan