Luka Doncic finally told Lakers what Mavericks fans always knew about him

"Loyalty never fades away" is the message printed at the bottom of the base of the Dirk Nowitzki statue outside of the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas. It was a message that describes Nowitzki's career perfectly, as he played 21 seasons for the Dallas Mavericks and never even considered leaving, and the same was supposed to happen for Luka Doncic.

Doncic played six and a half seasons for Dallas before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, and a recent story by Dan Woike of The Athletic just made it overwhelmingly clear (subscription required) that he was always going to sign his extension with the Lakers this summer and show them the same loyalty that he showed Dallas.

In this piece, Woike spoke with Doncic's business manager, Lara Beth Seager, and she made it clear that Doncic's eyes never strayed away from Los Angeles, as he is all in on being a Laker and bringing them as many championships as possible. He has fully moved on from his time in Dallas, and he wants to work as hard as he can to become the best player he can be as a Laker.

Luka Doncic's loyalty to Los Angeles was never in doubt

"I think it was always known that, when Luka was traded here, it’s, ‘He’s here now,'" Seager told Woike. "He wants to win where he is, and it’s important that he wins and that we’re working together with the team so we’re not waiting. His mindset has never been to hop around. His mindset is to win championships."

Exactly like when he was in Dallas, Doncic's mind is locked in on winning a title. He was never too worried about individual achievements; he just wanted to push as hard as he could to win the NBA Finals while being loyal to the franchise that he plays for.

He wanted to spend his entire career as a Maverick badly and bring the city of Dallas multiple championships, but they obviously didn't see it that way as they sent him to the Lakers less than a year after he led them to the Finals. Now, he's showing Los Angeles the same love he gave Dallas.

"His mindset is to build where he is and to work together," Seager told Woike. "And as long as he’s signed with a team, it’s a marriage and you treat it like a marriage. And marriages have hard times and good times, but you’re loyal and you’re faithful to each other through it all. And that’s just who Luka is. I don’t think he ever thought. ‘I’m not signing my extension.'"

Just like it seemed quickly after the trade, Doncic was always going to be loyal to the Lakers and sign the extension this summer to remain their franchise cornerstone. Mavericks fans desperately wanted Doncic to be a Maverick for life, just like Nowitzki was, and he had a golden opportunity this summer to sign a supermax extension with Dallas if he hadn't been traded.

The Mavericks ultimately didn't want to give Doncic this extension, and with all of this buzz in Los Angeles, Mavericks fans are being forced to have a full-circle moment with Doncic.

Even though Seager's words aren't Doncic's exact words, they convey who he is and what he stands for beautifully. Doncic is all about loyalty and winning, two things that Mavericks basketball is all about.

But now, he is bringing his intense mindset about those two topics to the Lakers, and Mavericks fans may never get to see him play in the blue and white ever again.