There will be much buzz headed into the 2025-26 NBA season in anticipation of the Luka Doncic "revenge tour." Doncic's unceremonious trade from the Mavericks to the Lakers, followed by a number of reports questioning the superstar's conditioning and work ethic, has borne a narrative that Doncic will be out for blood in his first full season in Los Angeles.
For his part Doncic has leaned all the way into that. He went on a huge press tour this summer touting a slimmed-down frame and even spoke to Men's Health Journal about his new approach to working out. Then he participated in the Eurobasket tournament and played out of his mind on both ends, averaging 34.7 points and 2.7 steals per game during Slovenia's run to the quarterfinals. The kicker of the whole concept came on Tuesday in the form of an interview with the Wall Street Journal titled "Welcome to the Luka Doncic Revenge Tour."
It will be fascinating to watch how the discussion around Doncic shifts as the season kicks off. But it seems certain the NBA world will talk about the shocking night Doncic was traded until the end of time. To that end, the Lakers star gave some more insight into his initial reaction to WSJ, saying he wasn't sure "how to act" as he dealt with his own emotions while trying to avoid upsetting the fans.
"I didn’t know how to react, how to act, what to say," Doncic told Jason Gay. "It was a lot of shock. I felt Dallas was my home. I had many friends there. The fans always supported me. I didn’t want to upset Dallas fans. And I didn’t want to upset Laker fans."
A tricky balance to strike. But from all appearances Doncic managed to toe the line pretty well. In his public appearances after he was sent to Los Angeles Doncic said all the right things about how much Dallas means to him while still expressing enthusiasm for his new chapter. Mavericks fans will be upset about the trade for a very long time but not because of any reaction Doncic had.
Doncic's revenge tour will kick off on October 21, when the Lakers host the Warriors.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Luka Doncic Reveals He Didn't Know 'How to Act' After Bombshell Lakers Trade.