Luka Doncic uses 8 seconds worth of pay in heart-warming gesture

Modified Apr 15, 2025 13:10 GMT

NBA: Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers - Source: Imagn — Luka Doncic puts his 8-second paycheck to wholesome use (Credits: Imagn)

Luka Doncic made a heartfelt gesture towards a fan while traveling through Dallas with the LA Lakers. A father from Dallas reached out to Luka to raise money for his son’s sports gear. Doncic, who was deeply rooted in the Dallas community during his time with the Mavericks, wasted no time helping out.

A post made by Mike Leslie reveals that Doncic donated $1,500 on GoFundMe to help that kid get his sports gear for the season.

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Luka Doncic earns around $11,299 for every minute he spends in an NBA game. This is based upon his average annual NBA salary of $43,031,940, as per Spotrac. So, an eight-second paycheck is all that Luka needs to make back the donation he made during his time in Dallas.

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Doncic leaving Dallas cost him a lot of money. Following his trade to LA, the max that the Lakers can offer Luka in an extension is $229 million; $116 million less than what a supermax contract ($345 million) with the Mavericks would’ve looked like.

Furthermore, Doncic will go from paying no state tax in Texas to paying one of the highest rates in California. But, all of this might not matter since Luka is now in one of the biggest markets in the league. If he can find success with the Lakers, Doncic will have more than enough opportunities to make all the money he’s lost in the trade.

Luka Doncic led the league in jersey sales during the 2024-25 season

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Luka Doncic’s No. 77 Lakers jersey became the best-selling NBA jersey of the 2024-25 season based on NBAStore.com sales. Quite an achievement considering Doncic has only been a Laker for half the season after being traded there in February.

That’s not all, Doncic is the first player since Carmelo Anthony to outsell both LeBron James and Stephen Curry in jersey sales. Anthony did so with the New York Knicks during the 2012-13 season.

On the court, he has led LA to the third seed in the West while recording 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists through 28 appearances this season. From the looks of it, the Lakers have won the Doncic-Davis trade by a landslide. Despite that, his heartwarming gesture above shows that Luka still has love for the city.

About the author

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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Edited by Gio Vergara