Steph Curry’s real-time reaction to the Dallas Mavericks trading Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers was captured by professional poker player Alan Keating. On February 1, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported a three-team trade that sent Dončić to the Lakers, with the Mavericks receiving Anthony Davis in return.
When the news broke around midnight on the East Coast, Keating was attending the Golden State Warriors’ charity poker event in Las Vegas. In his latest vlog, he revealed how Curry and his teammates, along with everyone else, were stunned by the announcement.
The video shows Curry with his jaw dropped, while Buddy Hield repeatedly said, “that’s not true,” to Draymond Green. Warriors assistant general manager Kirk Lacob approached them to verify the authenticity of the X post. An audible gasp filled the room as players and participants looked around in disbelief. Curry then let out a high-pitched scream and playfully placed his phone by his ear.
“To be in the stadium when this happened was unforgettable,” Keating recalled. “Everyone was looking at each other, ‘is this real?’ The dealers stopped dealing, everyone was checking their phones, we couldn’t believe it.”
After acquiring Dončić, the Lakers finished with the third seed in the Western Conference and a 50-32 record. However, they were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. The Timberwolves also defeated the Warriors in the conference semifinals, after the Dubs had beaten the Houston Rockets.