Well, well well, the moment we have been waiting for is almost here. Finally, Luka Doncic is set to make his debut for the iconic Lakers tonight against the Utah Jazz. He last stepped on the court on Christmas Day against the Timberwolves, back when he was still with the Mavericks. Doncic is suiting up in Lakers colors for the first time after being upgraded from questionable to available.

He’s locked in with L.A. for at least a season and a half, and his journey starts now. It’s crazy to think that turned out to be his final game in Dallas, right? Now, as a Laker, he hasn’t suited up once, missing three straight games.

He has been recovering from a calf injury that he suffered on Christmas Day. According to JJ Redick, the Lakers’ medical staff has set a minutes restriction for Doncic. However, he didn’t reveal the exact number. Playing for the Lakers is a dream for many hoopsters. And his former teammate, a Mavericks legend and a close friend is going to be there to see it.

Dirk Nowitzki made it clear that his loyalty to the Dallas Mavericks remains unchanged, but that doesn’t stop him from showing up for Luka. “I will always be a Mav for life, but had to come support my guy 77 @luka7doncic in the first game of his new chapter!” the German tweeted.

For over two decades, the Mavericks always had either Dirk or Luka on the roster as pointed out by Marc Stein. That streak finally ended this week. Nowitzki, who joined the team in 1998, spent his entire career in Dallas before retiring in 2019. Doncic arrived just in time for Dirk’s farewell season, making it feel like the franchise had found its next lifelong superstar. But fast forward to now, and Doncic wearing anything other than a Mavs jersey feels surreal.

But change is the only constant. And the Lakers are all set to make the Slovenian’s debut a grand event.

Everybody at the Crypto.com Arena gets a Luka Doncic shirt

Lakers fans at Crypto.com Arena won’t just watch Luka Doncic’s highly anticipated debut—they’ll also take home a No. 77 Doncic T-shirt. The team announced that everyone at Monday’s game against the Jazz will receive a gold shirt matching his jersey.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin called it the Lakers’ way of welcoming the 5x All-Star to L.A. Even LeBron James joined in, rocking one of the shirts during warmups and sinking a deep three with Doncic’s number on his back.

Head coach JJ Redick confirmed Doncic will start alongside Austin Reaves, LeBron, Rui Hachimura, and Jaxson Hayes. He considered Dorian Finney-Smith, Dončić’s former Mavericks teammate, but stuck with Hachimura, who’s been the go-to power forward.

Redick has done a solid job in his first season, with the Lakers sitting at 31-19 and just a few games out of the No. 2 seed in the West. L.A. is heating up at the right time, and adding Doncic only makes them more dangerous.