Luka Doncic Admits He ‘Played Through A Lot Of Injuries’ With Mavericks: ‘A Lot Of People Don’t Know That’

Luka Doncic told Malika Andrews of ESPN that he “played through a lot of injuries” during his time with the Dallas Mavericks. 

Doncic, who is now on the Los Angeles Lakers, was traded by Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison over conditioning issues. 

“I would say I gave everything to that franchise,” Doncic said. “I played through a lot of injuries. A lot of people don’t know that. Never asked for anything. Just small things. And honestly, I had a great time. It was the first team that drafted me. I mean, the trade happened during the draft, but I came there as a kid when I was 18. I didn’t know what to expect from the NBA. I didn’t know if I’d be good or bad. So they gave me the opportunity and I really appreciate it.”

Doncic appeared in 422 games with the Mavericks. He averaged 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists and made five All-Star teams and five All-NBA teams.

Dallas lost to the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals in five games.

Doncic suffered multiple calf injuries with the Mavericks. Harrison no longer wanted to build the Dallas franchise around Doncic, so he traded the All-Star for Anthony Davis, a player he has known for a while. 

Harrison told local reporters that he doesn’t regret trading Doncic despite getting death threats and Dallas missing the playoffs this year. 

“Yeah, there’s no regrets on the trade,” Harrison said. “Part of my job is to do the best thing for the Mavericks, not only today, but also in the future. And some of the decisions I’m going to make are going to be unpopular, and that’s my job, and I have to stand by it. And one last thing, also add, every trade I’ve done has been met with high scrutiny, and so eventually I’ll earn the trust of this community that you know some of these trades are going to work out, and they have at a high-level.”