LOS ANGELES: Luka Doncic scored 11 points in the first half of his debut with the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, joining their starting lineup alongside LeBron James and immediately getting into the flow.
Doncic got multiple standing ovations from a Los Angeles crowd wearing thousands of gold T-shirts with his name and No. 77 while the Lakers streaked out to a 25-point halftime lead on the Utah Jazz.
The Slovenian superstar’s first bucket was a 3-pointer in the opening minutes on his second shot for the Lakers. Doncic added three rebounds and three assists – none prettier than a three-quarter-court strike to James for a layup late in the first half.
The game was Doncic’s first in nearly seven weeks since he strained his left calf on Christmas with the Mavericks, who shocked the sports world by trading their 25-year-old centerpiece and NBA scoring champion. The grateful Lakers gave up Anthony Davis and Max Christie.
After a full week to settle in and to return to full strength, Doncic joined James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes as starters for the streaking Lakers, who had won five straight and 11 of 13 even before adding a five-time All-NBA selection to their lineup.
Coach JJ Redick, who played alongside Doncic for 13 games in 2021 with the Dallas Mavericks, was eager to see what Doncic would do in his much-hyped debut with his new team.
“Excitement level is high,” Redick said. “I don’t think anything in our approach or game plan for Utah changes. It is always a challenge in-season to integrate, and we have to be able to give each other patience for that.”
Doncic didn’t disappoint: His first touch was an alley-oop assist to Hayes, and he hit his 3-pointer moments later. He was serenaded with “Luka! Luka!” chants at the first dead ball, and several times thereafter.
That crowd included Dirk Nowitzki, who overlapped with Doncic for one season in Dallas and served as his mentor. Doncic appeared to be the natural heir to the German Hall of Famer’s incredible run in Dallas – until current Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison decided otherwise.
Doncic played the first 6:56 before checking out alongside James – likely a coincidence due to Doncic’s minutes restriction while he returns to full strength. The Lakers are expected to have one of their superstars on the floor at nearly all times when Doncic is up to speed.
“Feel like it’s best right now to ease Luka back in to playing NBA action,” Redick said. “I think if it was up to Luka, he would probably play 48 minutes, but we’re thinking long-term and we want to be safe.”
Doncic returned with about eight minutes left in the first half, and he helped the Lakers on their way to a big lead with several key plays.
Everybody received a Doncic T-shirt to mark the occasion at the Lakers’ downtown arena – including James, who warmed up before the game in the gold No. 77 shirt.
Doncic was followed by dozens of cameras as he warmed up for about 10 minutes before the game, and the Lakers’ arena played the Serbian music he favors for pregame workouts. The Lakers introduced him last before the game, giving him the spot normally reserved for James, which led to another standing ovation.
James returned from a one-game injury absence Monday when the Lakers began a home-and-home set with the Jazz heading into the All-Star break.
“I don’t think any of us know exactly what it’ll look like,” Utah coach Will Hardy said. “I assume it’ll look good. (Doncic and James) are two of the best thinkers, problem-solvers that we’ve ever seen. So yeah, I think preparing for it is a little weird. ... But I don’t see any world where those two playing together isn’t a good thing. Like I said, their processing speed mentally is incredible, and so I’m sure they’ll figure it out.”
Doncic has watched three straight Lakers victories from their bench since arriving in Los Angeles a week ago. Reaves scored a career-high 45 points to lead the Lakers past Indiana 124-117 on Saturday without Doncic or James, who sat out to rest his sore ankle.
Doncic began Monday by donating $500,000 to fire recovery efforts in his new community, making an immediate impression with his pledge to help with the damage caused by the rampant wildfires that devastated parts of Southern California last month – including Pacific Palisades, where Redick’s home was lost.
“It’s been so sad to see and learn more about the damage from the wildfires as I landed in LA,” Doncic wrote on his Luka Doncic Foundation’s social media channels. “I can’t believe it, and I feel for all the kids who lost their homes, schools and the places where they used to play with their friends. Today, my foundation is donating $500,000 to immediate recovery efforts. I am also committed to helping rebuild courts, playgrounds and fields that were destroyed, because every kid needs a safe place to play.
“To everyone affected by these fires: we’re here to help, now and for the long haul.”
Doncic signed his note: “Your new neighbor.”
Doncic’s initial donation is being made to the Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund. He also plans to donate “significant additional funding over the next two years” with a focus on rebuilding children’s play spaces, according to a spokesperson.
Luka Doncic makes his Lakers debut with win against Jazz
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Luka Doncic makes his Lakers debut with win against Jazz
- Luka Doncic got multiple standing ovations the from Los Angeles crowd wearing T-shirts with his name and No. 77
- The Slovenian superstar’s first bucket was a 3-pointer in the opening minutes on his second shot for the Lakers
Saudi Arabia opening doors for women athletes, says expert
- Lina Al-Maeena, chairperson of Jeddah United Club, lauds progress
- Focus on female development at World Football Summit in Riyadh
RIYADH: The World Football Summit which ended here on Thursday has once again placed women’s football at the center of its global agenda, highlighting initiatives, insights, and the achievements of trailblazers shaping the sport’s future.
One of the summit’s standout moments was the Female Leaders Awards that celebrated individuals and organizations driving progress, innovation, and equity in the women’s game.
Another anchor of the summit was the Female Leaders Gathering, which in its third year has become a vital platform for discussing leadership pathways and gender equity.
The gathering was led by Farkhunda Muhtaj, captain of the Afghanistan women’s national team, who said she hoped the initiative “continues empowering women to lead and influence the game at every level.”
Among the year’s award winners was Lina Al-Maeena, chairperson of Jeddah United Club, who expressed pride in the rapid transformation taking place within the Kingdom.
“We have come a long way in a very short time,” she said. “Our under-17 girls’ football team is now competing across the country under the Saudi Football Federation, and it shows how fast the sport is evolving.”
She added that “women are now participating in international events, something that felt impossible only a few years ago.”
Al-Maeena emphasized that equal opportunity was a cornerstone of Saudi Vision 2030. “The Ministry of Sports has opened doors for girls and boys across more than 100 federations and committees,” she said.
She highlighted the power of grassroots involvement. “It starts with the community,” she said. “That’s where you find the everyday champions who then rise to clubs and national teams.”
Across multiple sessions at the WFS, experts emphasized that women’s football was entering a new phase marked by global expansion and the rise of nontraditional markets.
The country had launched a professional women’s league, hosted international tournaments, expanded youth programs, and introduced the region’s first Women’s Champions League.
Eileen Gleeson, who has worked extensively in international women’s football, said that emerging markets like Saudi Arabia were “changing the map of where the women’s game can grow.”
She explained that the needs of these regions differed from those of established football nations. “The ambition is there,” she said, “but it’s not always matched with resources. You might want to win, but you can’t invest equally in every area. So the question becomes: where do you put that money?”
For Gleeson, long-term sustainability had to be the guiding principle. “Your starting point is different,” she said. “You’re introducing women’s football while also trying to professionalize it. For long-term growth, investment must go into the developing areas.”
She cited Saudi Arabia’s progress, noting that “in just four years, they’ve moved into professional structures with real commitment.” Still, she cautioned that nurturing homegrown players had to remain a priority.
“You have to protect your domestic league,” she said. “You can’t let it become an international league for its own sake.”
Muhtaj echoed this point, offering her perspective as a player who grew up without a domestic league in Canada. “Many Canadian players had to go abroad,” she said.
“But when you go abroad, you’re not always given the best opportunities because domestic players take precedence.”
She argued that investment should focus on markets with high talent but limited infrastructure. “There is so much talent in Asia and Africa,” she said. “The only thing missing is opportunity.”
She also emphasized how investment could stretch further in developing regions.
She said $400 million in Canada’s National Women’s Soccer League “might get you two or three franchises. But that same amount in developing regions could build an entire league with strong infrastructure.”
Muhtaj pointed to Saudi Arabia as “an example of how quickly opportunity can transform the environment for women players.”
