Luka Doncic is now a Los Angeles Laker after a monumental trade was made this past weekend that shocked the NBA world. The Slovenian superstar now plays for one of the most historic franchises in all of sports, filling the shoes of greats such as Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Shaquille O’Neal, and of course…the great Kobe Bryant. Doncic and Bryant never got to share the court together in the NBA, but the Black Mamba did leave the future of the league with something special to remember him by.
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Doncic was drafted into the NBA back in 2018 after putting on dominating performances all over the European leagues. One of his biggest idols was Bryant, who retired in 2016 after a prestigious 20-year career. The forever Laker loved hearing that one of the game’s next prodigies was a fan of his and gifted Doncic a signed jersey of his. Doncic was so excited he immediately shared the incredible gift on his Instagram Stories, which has since been deleted.
The relationship between Doncic and Bryant grew even further after that. A famous moment between the two iconic basketball players took place in 2019 when the Mavericks traveled to Los Angeles to play the Lakers in a regular season game.
Kobe Bryant learned Slovenian to trash talk Luka Doncic
During that game in Los Angeles, there was a moment when Doncic went to take the ball out when a fan trash-talked him in his native language of Slovenian. That fan ended up being Bryant, who shook an impressed Doncic’s hand after the trash-talking happened.
Kobe Bryant x Luka Doncic.
Video credit: @ESPN. pic.twitter.com/uHlTCY1qnw
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) December 30, 2019
This was a typical move for the Black Mamba. He famously knew how to speak Italian and Spanish, using the latter to communicate with his old teammate, Paul Gasol. Doncic still remembers the moment fondly. During his first press conference as a Laker, he was asked about the moment — stating that it was an amazing memory that he will never forget.
“It always stayed in my mind. It was an amazing moment, just for Kobe to know my name was amazing for me.”
Doncic added that Bryant and his daughter Gigi’s tragic passing in 2020 still hurts to think about. He also states that he’s incredibly excited to be a member of the Lakers, and just wishes Kobe could see him carry on the legacy.
The signed jersey from Bryant to Doncic clearly meant a lot to the now 25-year-old multi-time All-Star. One can only imagine how important it will be for him to perform well in honor of the Black Mamba.
