Luka Doncic is not playing games when it comes to his friendship with Dirk Nowitzki. The Lakers star publicly roasted his old mentor ahead of Friday’s matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers. According to the Post via Yahoo, Doncic said Nowitzki stopped reaching out even though he now lives in Los Angeles.
The comment came during pre-game interviews before the game streamed on Amazon Prime. Nowitzki is part of the NBA crew for that show and has been a huge supporter of Doncic since his days in Dallas. In February 2025, the Mavericks sent Doncic to the Lakers, ending their time as shared franchise icons. That deal changed everything for the league and set the stage for this new era in LA.
The Banter Gets Real
Doncic did not hold back when asked what he had to say to his former teammate. The 27-year-old guard made it clear that he wants to see his friend soon. “He don’t even call. He’s in LA and he don’t even call no more, so I expect that dinner soon,” Doncic said. He added that he expects a call very soon. This was playful trash talk, but it showed that Doncic still cares deeply about their bond.
Nowitzki heard the comments during the halftime show on Amazon Prime and laughed it off. The former champion joked that he is “big time now” after the Lakers star made the joke. It was a light moment between two superstars who share a deep history. This season, the Lakers rank among the Western Conference’s elite, with Doncic spearheading their efforts.
Shooting Like a Legend
While the banter was fun, the on-court performance was wild. The Lakers missed their first 15 three-point attempts in Friday’s game against the Trail Blazers. That is a terrible start for any team. But Doncic ended the first half with a heave from 61 feet away that banked in right before the buzzer. Per the New York Post, that shot trimmed the deficit to 60-53 and ended the awful shooting half.
Doncic is averaging 38.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, and eight assists entering Friday’s game. His shooting percentages stand at 49.5% overall and 43.1% from beyond the arc. The Lakers have issues to fix, but their start has been strong. General managers gave Doncic zero MVP votes in a survey before the season started.
