Luka Doncic believes immense fan support made his transition to LA easier

The trade that sent Slovenian star Luka Doncic to the LA Lakers in February caught many off guard — including Doncic himself. But the way Lakers fans welcomed him helped ease the transition, he said.

Speaking to Spectrum SportsNet in an interview clip shared on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday, Doncic said the support from Lakers fans was immediate.

“I was a little bit surprised, you know — it's a new guy in the city,” Doncic said. “But the way they showed me love, since Day 1, it's been unbelievable for me. I feel the love for sure.”

When asked if that support made it easier for him to adjust after spending his entire career with the Mavericks, Doncic replied:

“Yeah, made it a lot easier.”

Lakers fans embraced Doncic right away — his jersey became the top-seller across the NBA this season, surpassing even Steph Curry and new teammate LeBron James.

In 28 games for the Lakers, Luka Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists, helping LA lock up the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.

And it wasn’t just at Crypto.com Arena. Even during the Lakers’ road game at American Airlines Center — Doncic’s former stomping grounds in Dallas — Mavs fans gave him a warm ovation.

Luka Doncic eager for first postseason run as a Laker

Luka Doncic will make his Lakers playoff debut Saturday night when LA hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the first round.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the matchup, Doncic shared his excitement about getting back into the postseason.

“I like big games,” Doncic said Thursday (per NBA.com). “The playoffs is a fun time. Everybody plays 100%. It’s just fun to be out there.”

Last season, Doncic led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals, where they came up short against the Boston Celtics.

But this time, he’ll be alongside one of the game’s greats, LeBron James, as the Lakers take on the Timberwolves — the same team Doncic and the Mavs defeated in the Western Conference Finals last year.

In that five-game series, Doncic dominated with averages of 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists.

This year, he’s not shy about what he wants.

“The goal is to win a championship,” he said. “I think we have a great team. We have guys that are willing to go to war. Everybody is staying together. The chemistry is high, so I think we for sure have a chance.”

In his lone appearance as a Laker against Minnesota this season, Luka Doncic posted 21 points and 13 rebounds while shooting 6-for-20 in a 111-102 win.