"Shocking" - Abu Dhabi Open finalist Ashlyn Krueger reacts to $75M-worth Luka Doncic's trade to LeBron James-led Lakers

Abu Dhabi Open finalist Ashlyn Krueger recently reacted to the 'shocking' Luka Doncic trade from the Dallas Mavericks to the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers. Krueger, a Dallas native, admitted that Doncic was one of the two basketball players she knew.

The trade has been the talk of the sporting fraternity ever since it happened, with many high-profile athletes reacting to the news. What made it even more shocking is the fact that the $75 million-worth Doncic (via Celebrity Net Worth) had led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last year.

Recently, journalist Reem Abulleil decided to ask Dallas native Ashlyn Krueger about her thoughts on the internet-breaking trade. Funnily, Krueger admitted though she only knew about two basketball players Luka Doncic and LeBron James, she found the trade "shocking."

"I'm not a huge basketball fan, but I do know about the trade through my coach, and he (Doncic) was like the only basketball player besides LeBron. So it was shocking, um, we'll see. I mean, it'll be good. I'll watch him in LA."

The 20-year-old has had an impressive start to the 2025 season. She made it to the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International and Adelaide International but faced a hiccup at the Australian Open, where she suffered an opening-round exit. However, she bounced back in style by making it to the final in Abu Dhabi.

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Ashlyn Krueger's phenomenal run to the summit clash in Abu Dhabi Open 2025

Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open - Day Six - Source: Getty

Ashlyn Krueger kicked off her 2025 Abu Dhabi Open against her compatriot McCartney Kessler and clinched a 6-3, (4)6-7, 6-3 win in a topsy-turvy thriller following which she was up against third seed Daria Kasatkina. Despite going a set down against the Russian, Krueger managed to turn things around to claim a shocking 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 win.

The 20-year-old then faced eighth seed Leylah Fernandez and won her third consecutive three-setter of the tournament 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 to reach the final 4. Krueger passed the Linda Noskova test with flying colours to win 7-6(2), 6-4 and reach her first final of the season.

Krueger was engaged in a heated showpiece clash against Belinda Bencic. Though the American clinched the opening set 6-4, Bencic bounced back to win the second set 6-1 and took the last set as well with a score of 6-1 to get her hands on the trophy.