Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Luka Doncic’s dad Sasa blasted the Dallas Mavericks for how they handled the trade of his son to the Los Angeles Lakers. Sasa Doncic called it “very unfair” and saying Luka didn’t “deserve” to be treated that way.
“I understand there comes a moment when you disagree with a certain philosophy. You don’t like this or that player, all good, I get it. But I think that exactly this secrecy, or should I say from some individuals, maybe even hypocrisy, this hurts me personally,” Sasa Doncic told Arena Sport Slovenija on Sunday.
“Because I think that Luka absolutely doesn’t deserve this. Giving the fact that at least, as I know, sacrificed himself enormously and even all the stories now that someone is releasing that he wants to apologize for the things that they’re doing.
“I feel like this is very unfair from some individuals because I know that Luka respected Dallas a lot. He respected the whole city, helped children.”
Luka Doncic has been out of action since suffering a calf injury on Christmas, but when he was healthy he was putting up some gaudy numbers: 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game. Over his seven-year career with Dallas, Doncic, who is still just 25-years-old, has averaged 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists.
“It wasn’t even a problem last year since, I am saying again, one individual said he’s not fit enough,” Luka’s father Sasa continued. “That he played, I don’t know, 100 games, practically 40 minutes with two or three players constantly on him. That he was beaten and you say such things about him. I feel that this is very unfair from certain individuals. You traded him, stand by your actions but don’t look for excuses or alibis, that’s it.”
Luka’s dad about the trade 🐍 #nba #lukadoncic #lukadoncictrade pic.twitter.com/muWUDKaxlT
— Arena Sport Slovenija (@ArenaSport_SI) February 2, 2025
On social media after the trade, Luka Doncic wrote, “I thought I’d spend my career here, and I wanted so badly to bring you a championship. The love and support you all have given me is more than I could have ever dreamed of. For a young kid from Slovenia coming to the U.S. for the first time, you made North Texas feel like home.”
The Mavericks then went out and got clobbered 144-101 in Cleveland on Sunday in their first game without Doncic.
#MFFL pic.twitter.com/qVMcV2uh5m
— Luka Doncic (@luka7doncic) February 2, 2025