Luka Doncic celebrates iconic first connection with LeBron James ahead of Lakers-Mavericks game 

Luka Doncic is set to face his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. It will be his first time playing against the Mavs since they traded him to the LA Lakers earlier this month in one of the most shocking deals in NBA history.

Doncic seemed ready for the Lakers-Mavs matchup, sharing an image of himself and LeBron James on his Instagram story. It was a celebration of his first iconic connection with "The King" that happened last Sunday in the purple and gold's win over the Denver Nuggets.

The image was Doncic's first alley-oop dunk connection with James, who has surely enjoyed playing with his new teammate. "Luka Magic" came back to life in Denver, exploding for 32 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to help the Lakers get the 123-100 victory.

Luka Doncic shared this on his Instagram stories. (Photo: @lukadoncic on IG)

Doncic has made a lot of great passes over his young NBA career. He also already got a few highlight-reel assists to LeBron James, but the one he shared is probably going to be remembered by many LA Lakers fans.

James has been the recipient of several iconic dunks in his legendary career, including the bounce pass from Dwyane Wade during their time together with the Miami Heat.

Another iconic alley-oop slam was when "King James" posterized Jason Terry in 2013. Terry was with the Boston Celtics at the time, but LeBron always remembered getting terrorized during their 2011 NBA Finals matchup when the guard was with the Dallas Mavericks.

Doncic and James have only been teammates for less than a month, but they are proving capable of playing alongside each other. Even Austin Reaves remained effective despite the doubts of three ball-dominant players on the court at the same time.

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JJ Redick advises Luka Doncic ahead of emotional reunion against Mavericks

JJ Redick advises Luka Doncic ahead of emotional reunion against Dallas Mavericks. (Photo: IMAGN)

While Tuesday's game won't be in Dallas, it will still be an emotional night for Luka Doncic to play against his former team. LA Lakers coach JJ Redick has some advice for Doncic, who took some time to get back to his old self since the Mavericks traded him in the middle of the night of Dec. 2.

"I think just having familiar faces around is great for him," Redick told The Athletic. "You never know, though, because you’re talking about a guy who left home as a teenager to go to Madrid in a different country and learn how to speak Spanish on his own. Like, he's a different dude. But I think for him, given the magnitude of the change of scenery, I think having us around to help support him, I think has been great."

While Tuesday's game is certainly going to have all eyes on it, it likely won't be as emotional or eye-catching as when Luka Doncic returns to Dallas for the first time on April 9.