In 2019, Kobe Bryant attended a game at Staples Center to see Luka Doncic play, bringing his daughter, Gianna. During the game, Doncic was surprised to hear Bryant trash-talking him in Slovenian, signaling Bryant had learned some of his native language to taunt him.

Fast forward six years, Doncic is now a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, the team where Bryant spent his entire 20-year career.

Following a recent stunning trade that brought Doncic to the Lakers a week ago, he made his debut, carrying hopes that he could become the next generational superstar for the team, similar to Bryant and Magic Johnson.

Lakers fans welcomed Doncic warmly during his pregame warmups. Doncic may offer something different than LeBron James, as while James is an iconic player, he joined the Lakers after a successful career with other teams, not being a lifelong member like Bryant or Johnson.

Doncic is now in his first steps with the Lakers, and on debut night, the atmosphere buzzed with excitement, with fans wearing his jersey and cheering for him as he scored 14 points in 24 minutes in the Lakers’ 132-113 victory over the Utah Jazz.

In a show of mutual respect, LeBron James allowed Doncic to have a special debut moment and texted him, saying he could choose the order of introductions. Doncic chose to go last but graciously offered James the honor henceforth.

Doncic acknowledged feeling nervous before the game, a sentiment he hadn’t felt in a long time, but embraced this new chapter with the Lakers while reflecting on Bryant and Gianna’s absence during this pivotal moment.

He expressed, “It was an amazing moment just for Kobe to know my name. I just wish Kobe and Gigi were here to see this moment.”