Mavs fans hopeful of Luka Doncic return after video of him working as Dicks' cashier in Dallas goes viral

Luka Doncic returned to Dallas for the first time since being traded away to the Los Angeles Lakers in early February. Following the clash against the Mavericks on Wednesday night, Doncic chose to stay back in the city he once called home.

While remaining members of the Purple & Gold flew back to LA to prepare for their Friday night’s clash against the Houston Rockets, Doncic was interacting with locals in Dallas. To promote the launch of his new shoes – Luka 4 and Luka .77 – the Slovenian national worked as a cashier at Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Basketball fans instantly reacted to the viral clip. After learning that he made efforts to maintain his relationship with Dallas fans - signing autographs and giving advice to the youth - social media users were hopeful of Doncic’s return to the Mavericks in the future.

“He coming back one day fasho,” @ivanreyes776 hoped.

“He's coming back! Bookmark it!” another fan wrote.

“I pray everyday that one day he comes back,” a Luka Doncic fan account wrote.

“That man will forever be a Texan! He plays for the Lakers, but he’s a Maverick at heart,” @IdeCoello wrote.

“The fact he still did this in Dallas says a lot about him,” @Shoesnsports_ said.

“I truly believe Luka will come back to Dallas one day, as soon as Nico and Dumont are gone. Dallas will always be his home after Slovenia!,” @blingybqueen said.

Doncic has had a memorable trip to Dallas. Just a day before his short-time stint as a cashier at Dick’s, the 6-foot-6 superstar lit the American Airlines Center. In an emotional return, the guard erupted for his best scoring performance in the LA uniform-45 points. He also stuffed the stat sheet with 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals, leading his side to a dominant 112-97 victory.

Luka Doncic almost didn’t play against the Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks honored Luka Doncic with a tribute video upon his return to the American Airlines Center. The nearly 2:15 minute-long video - a montage of his best moments as a Maverick - left Doncic teary-eyed.

After demolishing his former team, the 26-year-old admitted that the pregame tribute left him too emotional. At a point, he even questioned whether he would be able to play.

"I don't know how I did it, because when I was watching that video I was like, ‘There’s no way I’m playing this game.’ But all my teammates had my back. They really supported me, so I appreciate that,” Doncic admitted during his on-court postgame interview.

Luka Doncic now improves his stats to 27.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.6 assists during his 27-game stint with the Lakers. The win over Dallas also secured the Lakers a spot in the playoffs - the first postseason appearance without having to participate in the play-in tournament since the 2019-2020 season.