Luka Doncic reveals his dad’s 3-word advice that helped him cope after shocking Lakers trade 

It’s been months since Luka Doncic made his way to Southern California. His trade to the LA Lakers will go down as one of the most debated in sports history, and, depending on how things unfold for both teams, it could even be one of the most infamous of all time.

Even LeBron James and Doncic himself were shocked to see this unfold. He was supposed to be the face of the Dallas Mavericks, and he had just led them to the NBA Finals.

In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, the former Real Madrid star admitted that it wasn’t easy coping with that news. Fortunately for him, his father, Sasa, who also used to play basketball in his heyday, was there to give him a piece of advice:

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"It was still a shock but, just, you know, he would say, embrace the moment," Doncic revealed.

Doncic was visibly emotional when he first arrived in Los Angeles. It took him a while to work his way back from injury and settle into JJ Redick's system, but once he took off, he proved to be the same young superstar he's always been.

Luka Doncic's father says he's playing fantastic

Moreover, the Dallas Mavericks often tried to make it seem as if Doncic was to blame for the trade. They seemingly didn't trust him to stay in shape or care for his workout and eating habits.

That's why Doncic has been a man on a mission ever since. He's slimmed down and seems to be in the best shape of his career. With that in mind, his father talked to Serbian outlet Meridian Sport about his new approach:

"As you can see, he's playing fantastic. He's hungry for success, he's leading the team well, and so far, everything is great. From the moment he arrived from L.A., he started training. When you train well, you can immediately see it in the physical appearance. Nothing has changed, he just started training even harder," Luka's father said.

At the end of the day, it's never usual to see a player of Doncic's caliber on the trade block, much less because his team wants to get rid of him.

And while the basketball gods still rewarded Mavericks GM Nico Harrison with Cooper Flagg, only time will tell who was the actual winner of one of the most shocking transactions in professional sports history.

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About the author

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto Cova is a journalist at Sportskeeda with a PhD in Sports Psychology. His education helped him develop a clearer understanding of the sports world as a whole, including basketball. Ernesto has over eight years of experience in the field, working for Fadeaway World, The Inquisitr, NBA Blast, The Cold Wire and Bolavip, among others.

His favorite team is the Chicago Bulls because of the Michael Jordan era. Jordan is Ernesto's all-time favorite, as he changed the game forever. Ernesto's second favorite was Kobe Bryant because he embodied that same competitive fire and Ernesto watched him play throughout his entire career. Nowadays, Ernesto really likes Stephen Curry, who he believes to be the most influential player of the past 15 years or so.

Ernesto's favorite basketball moment was when Venezuela -- his country -- took down Canada to take home the 2015 FIBA Americas Cup.

When not watching or writing about basketball, Ernesto likes to read and is interested in photography.

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