Luka Doncic is a basketball player, and basketball players are emotional people. That much should be stated for the record. When things aren't going their way, players tend to lash out. Sometimes that means yelling at opponents. Sometimes it can mean a hard foul. In Doncic's case, it meant a particularly aggressive fashion choice.
His Dallas Mavericks were getting absolutely blown off of the floor by the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. The Lakers scored 45 points in the first quarter and led by 20 or more points for much of the first half. This naturally frustrated Doncic, but his anger came to a head when he missed two free throws in the second quarter. Doncic is an 80 percent free-throw shooter this season, so missing both shots caused him to snap. He tore his jersey nearly in half, right down the center.
Luka nearly ripped his jersey in half, then kept playing 😅 pic.twitter.com/HcooSDmM6q
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 11, 2020
When it comes to jersey-tearing, Doncic is not a first-time offender. He took it way further last season during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Luka ripped his jersey in half pic.twitter.com/NyZUYXHPl4
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 23, 2019
Ironically, Doncic happened to be playing in this game against LeBron James, who once tore the sleeves off of one of the NBA's ill-fated sleeved jerseys. No jersey should feel safe in this game.
To those wondering, yes, Doncic came out for the second half wearing a new jersey, though how he managed to procure one remains unclear. Perhaps the Mavericks keep spares in the arena for just these situations, especially considering Doncic's history, or perhaps they ran up to the team store and grabbed one off of the shelves.
Still, Doncic managing to play the final few minutes of the second quarter with a torn jersey is an achievement in itself. If the Mavericks didn't throw the jersey away, it will no doubt become a coveted piece of memorabilia among Mavericks fans.
