Luka Dončić's Father Unloads on Mavericks Over Lakers Trade
Lakers trade controversy: Luka Don?i?'s father speaks out, expressing his disappointment with the Mavericks' decision to trade his son.
Getty
Luka Doncic celebrates with his father Sasa after the Dallas Mavericks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game Five of the Western Conference Finals.
Luka Dončić‘s father was hurt and appalled by the Dallas Mavericks‘ decision to trade his son to the Los Angeles Lakers after leading them to the NBA Finals last season.
Saša Dončić, Luka’s father, unloaded on the Mavericks in an interview with Arena Sport Slovenija on Sunday, Feb. 2.
“I understand there comes a moment when you disagree with a certain philosophy,” Saša said. “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.”
In the most shocking trade in NBA history, the Mavericks shipped Luka, a five-time All-Star and All-NBA player, without warning to the Lakers for 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison told The Dallas Morning News that Luka didn’t return his call after the trade.
“My guess is he probably doesn’t want to talk to me,” Harrison said.
The Dončićs felt betrayed.
“Because I think that Luka absolutely doesn’t deserve this,” Saša said. “Given the fact that at least, as I know, he 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’s Father Pushes Back on ‘He’s Not Fit’ NarrativeESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported in the aftermath of the trade that one factor that contributed to the Mavericks’ decision to trade the 25-year-old superstar was his poor conditioning which led to several injuries in his tenure in Dallas.
Luka has only played 22 games this season for the Mavericks after suffering a calf injury on Christmas. MacMahon said Luka was pushing to 270 pounds, which is not his ideal playing weight.
“The [Mavericks] had major concerns about moving forward with Luka Dončić due to his constant conditioning issues and the looming commitment of another supermax contract extension this summer, sources told ESPN,” MacMahon wrote on X.
But Luka’s father slammed the weight issue.
“It wasn’t even a problem last year since, I am saying again, one individual said he’s not fit enough,” Sasa said. “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.”
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
LeBron James’ Heir ApparentLuka arrived in Los Angeles on Sunday night and was welcomed by Lakers vice president and general manager Rob Pelinka, who thought Harrison was joking when he offered the trade.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers)
Pelinka happily obliged and did not pass up on the golden opportunity to acquire arguably the second-best player in the world behind Nikola Jokić.
“Luka is a one-of-a-kind, young global superstar who will lead this franchise for years to come,” Pelinka said in a statement. “His killer instincts and commitment to winning championships will be a driving force for the team. We will be relentless in building a roster around the on-court vision Coach Redick has for this basketball team and there is an unwavering commitment to that work to serve our loyal and dedicated fans. We are grateful for today and look forward to what’s next.”
The shocking trade is a godsend to Pelinka, who was under pressure to upgrade Lakers roster when LeBron James and Davis made public comments about its limitations.
Davis specifically asked for a center so he could go back to his natural position as power forward. He got his wish, but in Dallas.
Meanwhile, James gets to play with Luka, who he fondly calls as “Luka Magic,” in his final years in what the Lakers hope to be a passing of the throne succession.
Censori turned heads at the 67th Grammys with an all-nude outfit, posing alongside West. Learn everything you need to know about the architect here.
Read more >> : Cick here
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The fires, which Grammy organizers pledged to make the focus of the awards, became prop and backdrop, losing the human depth and scale of the tragedy.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Taylor Swift’s Grammy toast to Kendrick Lamar for his Drake diss “Not Like Us,” has sparked fan speculation about where she stands.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Eilish had seven nominations but went home without any wins.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The Princess of Wales shared a wholesome photograph on Instagram taken by Prince Louis, to mark a significant occasion
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
After Bianca Censori walked the Grammys red carpet alongside husband Kanye West in a fully-nude look, her younger sister Angelina shared her support on social media.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Fans believe the “Not Like Us” rapper chose his outfit to send another bit of shade toward his Toronto-born foe.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar won the night's biggest awards, but the real takeaway from the Grammys is that a wave of younger stars has arrived on the pop scene, fully prepared to own the spotlight.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
We should do this more often.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
After some early controversy on the red carpet involving Kanye West and Bianca Censori, the ceremony went ahead with some dazzling live performances and historic wins
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Twitter (X), Inc. was an American social media company based in San Francisco, California, which operated and was named for its flagship social media network prior to its rebrand as X. In addition to Twitter, the company previously operated the Vine short video app and Periscope livestreaming service
Twitter (X) is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 619 million monthly active users worldwide. One of the most exciting features of Twitter (X) is the ability to see what topics are trending in real-time. Twitter trends are a fascinating way to stay up to date on what people are talking about on the platform, and they can also be a valuable tool for businesses and individuals to stay relevant and informed. In this article, we will discuss Twitter (X) trends, how they work, and how you can use them to your advantage.
What are Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are a list of topics that are currently being talked about on the platform and also world. The topics on this list change in real-time and are based on the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be localized to a Worldwide country or region or can be global, depending on the topic's popularity.
How Do Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends Work?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are generated by an algorithm that analyzes the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. When the algorithm detects a sudden increase in tweets using a specific hashtag or keyword, it considers that topic to be trending.
Once a topic is identified as trending, it is added to the list of Twitter (X) Worldwide trends. The topics on this list are ranked based on their popularity, with the most popular topics appearing at the top of the list.
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be filtered by location or category, allowing users to see what topics are trending in their area or in a particular industry. Additionally, users can click on a trending topic to see all of the tweets using that hashtag or keyword.