Luka Doncic’s real feelings after beating LeBron James on Christmas
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic showed his respect and admiration for LeBron James after beating the Los Angeles Lakers star during a Christmas Day scrimmage.
Dončić and co. erased an 11-point halftime deficit and turned it into a 19-point lead after giving up 51 points to LeBron and the Lakers in the third quarter. The Mavs ended up sealing the victory 124-115, adding more woes to the purple and gold, who lost their fourth straight game.
Despite the Lakers’ struggles this season – which was even more highlighted during their meeting – that didn’t stop Dončić from showing love for LeBron. He said it was an incredible honor to face an NBA legend on Christmas Day, not to mention on prime-time television in Slovenia, where his family and friends saw him go head-to-head with his childhood hero.
“It was incredible, especially the theater season in Slovenia. All my friends and family can watch, but to go against a guy like that, his 18 years old and he is [almost] 38 in the Christmas game, it’s amazing to see him play and just stand up to him. It’s unbelievable,” Doncic said, per Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News.
Luka Doncic and LeBron James have constantly shown their admiration for each other in recent years, so it’s no surprise why there’s a ton of respect between the two players. After the Mavs’ victory on Sunday, they were also spotted sharing a moment and hugging each other while laughing.
Luka Doncic and LeBron James #NBAXmas#Mavspic.twitter.com/TFx4YMUTlR
— Dorothy J. Gentry (@DorothyJGentry) December 25, 2022
Fortunately for NBA fans, the Mavs and Lakers still have three meetings this 2022-23 season, so we’ll get to see more Luke and LeBron matchups. Luka took the first game, but as usual with LeBron, it’s hard to write him off even as LA struggles.