An outlet named Luka Dončić as the next Mavericks player whose jersey should be retired, despite the 2025 trade that sent him to the Lakers.
DALLAS - A national media outlet listed all retired NBA jersey numbers on Saturday. Its Dallas Mavericks entry predicted Luka Dončić as the next honoree.
The list claims that Dončić should be next and asked if Dallas will do it after the trade that sent him to Los Angeles.
Seven numbers have been retired at American Airlines Center: No. 6 for Bill Russell, No. 12 for Derek Harper, No. 15 for Brad Davis, No. 22 for Rolando Blackman, No. 24 for Kobe Bryant and Mark Aguirre, and No. 41 for Dirk Nowitzki.
Dallas traded Aguirre to Detroit during the 1988-89 season. His No. 24 went up on Jan. 29, 2026.
Dončić was chosen as the third overall pick in the 2018 draft by Atlanta and was traded on draft night to Dallas in exchange for Trae Young and a 2019 first-round pick. He earned five consecutive All-NBA First Team honors in Dallas.
On Jan. 26, 2024, Dončić scored a franchise-record 73 points at Atlanta. The total is tied for the fourth-most in a game in NBA history. He had 41 of them by halftime, also a team record.
Through that regular season he put up 2,370 points, which broke Aguirre's franchise single-season record of 2,330 from 1983-84. Dallas lost the 2024 NBA Finals to Boston in five games.
On Dec. 27, 2022, Dončić had 60 points, 21 rebounds, and 10 assists against New York, a line no one in league history had put up before. His 60 points broke Nowitzki's franchise record of 53 from 2004, just two days after Dallas unveiled a Nowitzki statue.
In his second season, Dončić achieved his 22nd career triple-double in his 122nd game, surpassing the franchise record of 21 held by Jason Kidd, who took nearly 500 games to reach that number. He finished his time in Dallas with averages of 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists, shooting 47%.
The trade came on the night of Feb. 1, 2025, five days before that season's deadline. ESPN's Shams Charania first reported it and reported that Dallas approached the Lakers with the offer. Marc Stein reported that Dončić had not requested a trade.
Dončić, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris went to Los Angeles. Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick came back, with Utah taking Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round picks as the third team. Dallas confirmed the deal the following morning.
The move cost Dončić his eligibility for a $345 million supermax extension.
Davis appeared in 29 games for Dallas before being traded to Washington in February 2026. Dallas ended the previous season with a 26-56 record.
Dončić is also listed as a candidate in Los Angeles, where LeBron James appears on the same entry.
Dončić and the Lakers visit the American Airlines Center on Sunday, Feb. 28, at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC. The date is Dončić's 28th birthday and the only meeting in Dallas this season. The Mavericks play in Los Angeles on March 21 and April 6.
