Lakers star LeBron James compares Luka Doncic’s return to Dallas with his own experience in Cleveland

Two months after that shocking trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Slovenian guard will reunite with the Dallas Mavericks’ fans at the American Airlines Center this Wednesday. LeBron James weighed in on this event, comparing it to his own return to face the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After the Lakers‘ loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, James spoke to reporters in the locker room and was asked whether Doncic would face a similar scenario in Dallas to the one he experienced during his return to Cleveland. “His situation’s gonna be different than mine,” the 40-year-old forward said in a video shared by House of Highlights.

“I think he’ll get a standing ovation, and people will clap and cheer, and he’ll hear his name a lot. That’s what I’m expecting,” LeBron added, making it clear that he anticipates a warm welcome for Luka from the Mavericks‘ fans in recognition of his seven years with the team.

“My situation was different,” James later explained when discussing his 2010 departure from Cleveland to join the Miami Heat. “He had no choice in the matter of what happened in his situation. I did, so it was different for me.”

LeBron James during his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2009 Playoffs

LeBron believes Lakers must support Doncic in Dallas

In the same conversation, LeBron James was asked about the role that the other Los Angeles Lakers players should play in supporting Luka Doncic during what will likely be a particularly emotional game for him. “Whatever he needs. I think winning will be the best solution,” the superstar said.

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On the support the team will provide Doncic, LeBron added: “I think is very important. I mean, it’s camaraderie, you know. It’s holding each other down whenever we face anything. It’s going to be a lot of emotions going through Luka in both interior and exterior, and if we do our job on the floor, then we’ll help him tremendously.”

How did LeBron’s return to Cleveland go?

After seven standout seasons with the Cavaliers, LeBron James made the decision in 2010 to leave for the Miami Heat in search of a more likely opportunity to win an NBA championship, something he would achieve in 2012 and 2013 with the Florida-based franchise.

Naturally, this decision was not well received by Cavaliers fans, who expressed their strong disapproval in the days following the announcement, even going as far as burning his jersey. During James’ first game back in Cleveland, many fans in the arena chanted “Akron hates you.”

Time smoothed over those rough patches, and the relationship with the fans was repaired with LeBron’s return to Cleveland in 2014, which marked the beginning of a glorious era for the team. This era included four consecutive NBA Finals appearances against the Golden State Warriors and the memorable championship won in 2016, highlighted by Kyrie Irving’s iconic shot.