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On Thursday, Luka Doncic will play his first game in Dallas since the Mavericks traded him to the Lakers. His former team will undoubtedly reap the benefits of the ticket sales as he presumably plays in front of a sold-out crowd, but he reportedly blocked them from attempting to cash in even more by inking sponsorships linked to his return.
There’s little doubt the shocking trade that saw the Mavericks ship Luka Doncic off to Los Angeles will be remembered as the most notable moment of the 2024-25 NBA season, as it’s still hard to believe Dallas agreed to one of the most unexpected transactions in the history of the league.
The superstar got his first chance to get revenge on the franchise when the Lakers hosted the Mavericks on February 25th in a game where he posted a triple-double thanks to the 19 points, 12 assists, and 15 rebounds he had in a contest where Los Angeles walked away with the 107-100 victory.
There was plenty of hype surrounding that game, but it paled in comparison to the amount surrounding the one scheduled for the date plenty of Mavericks fans circled on their calendar after learning about the trade: April 9th, which marked the first time Doncic would head back to Dallas.
As of this writing, the cheapest secondary market ticket to Thursday’s showdown at American Airlines Center is a $250 seat in the nosebleeds, and those closer to the floor are being listed for thousands of dollars as fans in Dallas prepare to welcome back the former face of the franchise.
According to ESPN, the Mavericks are preparing to commemorate the occasion by playing a tribute video chronicling Doncic’s contributions during his six-and-a-half seasons with the team, and seats have also been blanketed with shirts that read “Thank You For Everything” in his native Slovenian.
Thank you for everything.#MFFL pic.twitter.com/ZpM0mP3EOQ
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 9, 2025
The outlet also notes the franchise was hoping to leverage his return to make some extra cash courtesy of some unnamed brands Doncic was affiliated with during his time in Dallas that were willing to shell out some dough for the right to be incorporated into the occasion before he intervened, saying:
Team sources told ESPN that the Mavs had also lined up lucrative sponsorship deals for Wednesday’s game, with multiple companies that Doncic endorses, but those deals fell apart after Doncic’s camp declined to give its blessing, pointedly noting that he now plays for the Lakers.
You have to respect the pettiness.