

A type of moment where everyone remembers where they were, the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks struck a deal last year to send Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a first-round pick. A move that changed the NBA landscape forever, it was one that Mavericks fans curse to this day.
On Saturday night, the Lakers traveled to Dallas to face the Mavericks, the second time Doncic has played in Dallas since the trade. Entering the fourth quarter, the Lakers were down, but used a 37-23 quarter to come back and defeat Mavericks 116-110.
On a night with all the attention on him, Doncic shone for the Lakers, putting up 33 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds to finish with a +18 plus-minus. While the Lakers fans were certainly happy with his performance, so were some Mavericks fans, who still miss their once-franchise player.
As a gesture to some of his biggest fans from Dallas, Doncic purchased a suite and surprised 22 Mavericks fans who showed their support for him on social media after the trade last year. As shared by Front Office Sports, Doncic met them before the game, giving them each gift bags.
While it was a special night for those fans, it was also a night where Doncic made history, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to hit 1,500 three-pointers. Even though he's not known as being a pure shooter, he shoots them with high volume, and has made enough to be making history doing so.
Doncic shot 3-of-8 from the three-point line in the game, but entered the evening shooting just 33.3% from beyond the arc.
After the game, Doncic was asked about returning to Dallas, telling reporters he was able to feel at home returning to the city. "I was happy to be back here. I went to my house. Saw my cars. It's always gonna be a special place for me."
While some stars leave a team and leave behind a disgruntled and frustrated fan base, Luka's exit was unique for a player of his caliber, as he was traded without a demand and rather an agenda by the old front office to move off a player before a max extension came to the table.
Regardless, Doncic remains a Laker and continues to play at an All-NBA and MVP-level this season. The Lakers might have some problems to figure out on their roster, but they'll be contenders for years to come as long as Doncic remains with the franchise.