ESPN will once again capture a highly anticipated moment in sports on Wednesday, April 9, when 26-year old Los Angeles Lakers phenom Luka Dončić makes his eagerly-awaited return to Dallas, Texas, where up until February he had served as the face of the Mavericks franchise. The Lakers and Mavericks collide at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Sports fans have had April 9 circled on their calendars since that fateful night in February when ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania broke the news that rocked the NBA world. Dončić, a beloved figure among Mavericks fans, who led the team to the 2024 NBA Finals, had been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal that included Anthony Davis. We captured how ESPN’s best-in-class news gathering organization mobilized for this feature on ESPN Front Row.
Now, as the NBA Play-In Tournament and NBA Playoffs are set to begin next week, ESPN will nationally televise one more massive regular-season event this week. Here is a look at how ESPN platforms are rallying to document this special game:
- Sports Production: ESPN’s sports production unit has assigned the NBA Finals broadcast team to tonight’s matchup. A pair of Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers – play-by-play voice Mike Breen and analyst Doris Burke – comprise the team alongside analyst Richard Jefferson and reporter Lisa Salters.
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- NBA Countdown: the NBA Countdown pregame show, hosted by Malika Andrews, will set the table for the Luka’s return starting at 7 p.m. on ESPN. ESPN NBA reporter Tim MacMahon will join the show from outside the American Airlines Arena to set the scene as fans eagerly await Dončić’s return.
- NBA Today: NBA Today, also hosted by Andrews, airing today at 3 p.m. on ESPN, includes an essay from MacMahon titled “The Adopted Team.” The essay sheds light on how connected Luka was to Dallas and the impact of the shocking trade on the Mavericks organization.
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- ESPN.com: MacMahon and fellow ESPN NBA reporter Dave McMenamin, who have covered Dončić extensively with the Mavericks and Lakers, respectively, will be on site in Dallas. Both reporters shared remarks:
Dončić thrives as the enemy in road arenas, using the wrath of rival fans to fuel his ruthless competitiveness. I’m not sure how being showered with love and adulation as a visitor will affect him emotionally, but there’s no doubt that Dončić will want to put on a show in his Dallas return.
-ESPN NBA Reporter Tim MacMahon
Luka is a guy who tends to meet the moment. Before I covered him on the Lakers, I was there when he hit a ridiculous game-winner in a playoff game in the Bubble to beat the L.A. Clippers at the buzzer when he was just 21 years old. I was there when he shocked the Suns on their homecourt in Game 7 in the second round in 2022, when Phoenix was favored to win it all that year. I was there when he hit a stepback over Rudy Gobert in Minnesota last year in the conference finals on the way to leading the Dallas Mavericks to their first NBA Finals berth since the Dirk Nowitzki days. I think he will have something special in store.
-ESPN NBA Reporter Dave McMenamin
- Bobby Marks, ESPN NBA Front Office Insider, compiled an extensive breakdown of what all 28 other NBA teams could have traded to the Mavericks for Dončić at the trade deadline. The story is available on ESPN+: What 28 other NBA teams could have traded for Luka Dončić.
- Marketing: ESPN’s marketing team created a topical spot to capture the excitement and anticipation of Dončić’s return to Dallas. The downloadable marketing spot is airing on ESPN platforms.
- Social: ESPN social media manager Mohammed Kloub will be on site at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas to capture content for various ESPN platforms leading into – and through – tonight’s game.
