Luka Dončić reacted like most Dallas Mavericks fans upon hearing he’d been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. He was extremely upset.
Dončić’s emotions from that shocking Saturday night on Feb. 1 are apparent on the iPhone he still carries with him. Upon learning he’d been traded, Dončić threw his phone after the call ended. Dončić’s manager, Lara Beth Seager, showed the souvenir from that night during an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews.
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The phone, which apparently didn’t have a protective case on it, appears to have a piece chipped away from the top with a crack running down the back. However, Dončić didn’t get rid of the damaged phone.
“Yeah, it still works,” Dončić said when asked if he still uses the phone. But it may also have some emotional significance as a memento, as well.
Several other phones may have been damaged from being thrown in rage or dropped in shock — whether by fans, media or perhaps Dončić’s suddenly former Mavericks teammates — when news alerts of the blockbuster trade popped up on notifications.
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The cracked phone represents the emotions Dončić experienced upon having his NBA career and life disrupted. He was in disbelief, saying, “It’s April 1.” Perhaps he felt rejected.
“Sadness, mostly,” Dončić replied when asked what he was feeling. “I was still in shock, like, crazy shock. I felt like my heart was broken, honestly.”
The superstar’s emotions were on full display when Dončić returned to Dallas with the Lakers on April 10, and he couldn’t hold back tears as a tribute video played during pregame introductions. Dončić went on to score 45 points, hitting seven 3-pointers, in the Lakers’ 112-97 victory.
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Above all, Dončić may have felt betrayed. During their interview, Andrews mentioned how important loyalty is to him, calling it a “key tenet” of who he is, and being traded certainly runs contrary to that. Asked if he’d spoken to Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison when he was traded or since, Dončić said he hadn’t.
Reminded that Harrison said “defense wins championships” in justifying the trade, Dončić said he just wanted to move on.
“It’s just sad the way he’s talking right now,” he said. “I never said anything bad about him.”
In 28 regular-season games with the Lakers, Dončić led the team in scoring with 28.2 points per game. He also averaged 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists while shooting 38% on 269 3-point attempts, helping the Lakers to finish as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
The Lakers begin their first-round NBA playoff series versus the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, with Game 1 scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
