Dirk Nowitzki to Attend Luka Dončić’s Debut with Lakers: ‘Had to Come Support My Guy’

Dirk Nowitzki is synonymous with the Dallas Mavericks, having spent 21 years with the team, but he’ll be cheering on a different team on Monday.

The Mavericks legend will be in attendance for the Los Angeles Lakers matchup against the Utah Jazz on Monday to see his former teammate, Luka Dončić, debut for his new team.

“I will always be a Mav for life, but had to come support my guy 77 [Dončić] in the first game of his new chapter!” Nowitzki wrote on social media.

Marc Stein first reported that Nowitzki would attend the game.

Nowitzki, drafted by the Mavericks in 1998, was with the organization until he retired in 2019. His tenure in Dallas briefly intersected with Dončić’s, as he was in his final year during Dončić’s rookie season.

As Stein pointed out, until this week, the Mavericks hadn’t played a game without either Nowitzki or Dončić on the roster since April 1998.

It seemed like Dončić was going to follow in Nowitzki’s footsteps and be a Maverick for life, but Dallas had other plans. The team dealt Dončić to the Lakers in return for Anthony Davis in one of the most shocking trades in NBA history last Saturday.

Now the former face of the Mavericks franchise will suit up in purple and gold after six and a half years in Dallas. Dončić hasn’t played since Christmas Day when he suffered a calf strain, but he’ll make his debut on Monday.

While he’s played just 22 games this year, Dončić has been his usual productive self when he’s on the court. He’s averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game and will look to continue that production with his new team.