The dust continues to settle down in the days following the shocking trade that sent Luka Doncic to Los Angeles Lakers. Lakers formally welcomed the 25-year-old Tuesday. Meanwhile, Anthony Davis and Max Christie continue to settle in their new surroundings with Mavericks.
The Slovenian basketball -ball -star won his first scoring title last season before leading the Mavs to the NBA final. Doncic is also a five-time all-NBA selection and a five-time all-star.
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A basketball is placed on the field next to an NBA logo during a break in the first half of a game in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
In the midst of his reaction to the Blockbuster agreement, the former Golden State Warrior’s minority owner and venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya gave some insight into his decision to sell his share in the NBA franchise.
Palihapitiya revealed that the decision was partly about his faith, which the league would soon be forced to fight with a serious competitor.
“I sold my ownership in Warriors last year, partly because I was pretty sure Texas-based lawyer Adam Loewy.
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Loewy quoted Chris Kratovil, another lawyer who offered an analysis of the monumental trade involving Doncic. The lawyer theorized that the Mavs decision to move on from Doncic was part of a hypothetical strategy to maintain enough leverage to potentially move the franchise out of Texas if the state eventually does not legalize sports games.
Mark Cuban sold his controlling interest in Mavericks in 2023 to the family to Miriam Adelson. The family owns a casino company. Cuban remained as a minority owner, but he is no longer involved in daily basketball operations.
The Dallas Mavericks logo is depicted on a uniform against Detroit Pistons in Little Caesars Arena on March 9, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
Palihapitiya also suggested that LeBron James should be the preferred choice if the speculative competitor was ever realized.
“They (speculated) Antics below only reinforce the likelihood that a group of well-heeled investors with $ 5-10b could quickly get up a competitor to the NBA. After this trade, they might start with Luka and pay him his supermax and get LeBron by to make him the commissioner.
James’ trusted business partner, Maverick Carter, is pursuing $ 5 billion in capital from investors with the goal of launching a new basketball league outside North America, Front Office sports reported. James is not assumed to have any involvement in the International Basketball League effort.
After an influx of apparent phone calls, Palihapitiya made another post on X that outlined what an international basketball league that directly competes with the NBA could lead to.
Donic responded to the trade and said he was originally in a state of unbelief. “You can imagine how surprised I was,” Doncic said Tuesday. “I had to check if it was April 1st. I didn’t really believe it.”
The superstar has begun to recover after his first two days in Los Angeles, and he becomes increasingly excited about a new chapter with James and Lakers.
The Super Bowl Lix will be streamed on TUBI. (TUBI)
“It was a big shock,” Doncic said. “(Dallas) was home, so it was really tough moments for me.… (But now) I get the game in the biggest club in the world and I’m excited about this new journey.”
