- Luka Dončić shone in debut Lakers victory
- Lakers defeated Utah Jazz 132-113
- Dončić recorded 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in first Lakers appearance
The stars came out in LA for Luka Dončić, as the Slovenian superstar made his eagerly awaited Lakers debut in a dominant 132-113 victory over the Utah Jazz, Monday night.
Dončić has dominated column inches and social media discussion over the last 10 days, since the Dallas Mavericks owners lost their collective minds and decided to trade their best player and a future all time great out of nowhere. And plenty of Hollywood’s A-Listers were more than ready to see the Lakers’ newest leading man (well, maybe supporting until LeBron retires) in all his glory at the Crypto.com Arena.
Luka Dončić had an Opening Night to Remember
As far as debuts go, it was an effective evening for the 25-year-old point guard, who recorded 14 points, five rebounds and five assists, linking up effectively with LeBron James for the first time. The emphatic defeat of the Jazz took the Lakers to 10-1 in their last 11 games. It is a run that has propelled JJ Redick’s team to fourth in the Western Conference.
But, as is so often the case with Lakers home games, there were eyes being cast court side, where several major names had taken their seats to witness the new major name in the yellow and purple.
Adele, Rich Paul, Will Ferrell, Floyd Mayweather Jr and Dirk Nowitzki were all pictured taking in the five-time All Star’s debut and all seemed impressed by what they saw.
Every seat inside Crypto was adorned with a Luka jersey ahead of the game, with the former Maverick already treated like a hero in Los Angeles. LeBron even sported a 77 t-shirt ahead of the game, exclaiming, “23 and 77 is 100. Let’s get it” referencing the duo’s respective jersey numbers.
If Luka and LeBron can maintain the momentum of their opening night, expect a lot more stars court side between now and award season.
