When the Lakers acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks earlier this month, fans in Los Angeles knew they were getting a phenomenal young player who is a five-time All-Star selection, led the league in scoring last season and took his team to the NBA Finals in June.
One thing those fans might not have been expecting as part of the deal? Free parking next to Crypto.com Arena on game night.
But that’s what they got Tuesday, at least for one night. Doncic and his shoe sponsor, the Jordan Brand, teamed up to buy out the lot at corner of South Figueroa and West 11th streets — and just a diagonal walk across the street from the Lakers’ home arena — to provide complimentary parking for fans on hand to see Doncic’s first game against the Mavericks since the surprise Feb. 1 trade.
“Free parking courtesy of Luka,” read a sign at 1046 S. Figueroa St. that also featured the Jordan Brand’s Jumpman logo.
A Jordan Brand representative said Doncic and the company paid for a total of 140 parking spots, as the Slovenian player’s debut against his former team was turned into a celebration of L.A.’s newest superstar.
Earlier in the day, Jordan Brand dropped an ad that shows a purple and gold Koenigsegg Regera — which, the company stated in a press release, is “one of Luka’s favorite cars” — with someone replacing its Texas license plate to one from California, with George Strait’s “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” playing in the background. Both plates read “77,” which is Doncic’s number, with the new one also purple and gold.
The car was parked outside L.A. Live before the game, with promotional items such as “new team scent” air fresheners and bumper stickers featuring such slogans as “Can’t Spell Luka Without L.A.” being handed out nearby.
Inside the arena, Doncic wore his new Luka 4 sneakers for the first time. He also compiled his first triple-double with the Lakers (19 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists) to help his new team notch a 107-99 win over his old team.
The free parking promotion wasn’t Doncic’s first act of generosity during his short time in L.A. On Feb. 10, Doncic’s foundation announced it was donating $500,000 to recovery efforts following the massive wildfires that raged in L.A. County in January.
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