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‘Free parking courtesy of Luka:’ Fans — and a purple Regera — pull up to see new Laker Doncic face Mavs

Lakers star Luka Doncic drives to the basket past Mavericks forward Kessler Edwards during a basketball game.
Lakers star Luka Doncic drives to the hoop past Dallas Mavericks forward Kessler Edwards on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena. Doncic notched a triple-double in his first game against his former team since being traded to L.A. this month.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

When the Lakers acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks 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? Free parking next to Crypto.com Arena on game night.

But that’s what they got Tuesday. Doncic and his shoe sponsor, Jordan Brand, teamed up to buy out the lot at the corner of South Figueroa and West 11th streets — just a walk across the street from the Lakers’ arena — to provide complimentary parking for fans on hand to see Doncic’s first game against the Mavericks.

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Free parking courtesy of Luka,” read a sign at 1046 S. Figueroa St. that also featured Jordan Brand’s Jumpman logo.

There has been a lot of talk about Luka Doncic’s beer-drinking and hookah-smoking past with the Mavericks, but the soon-to-be 26-year-old has played well with the Lakers.

A Jordan Brand representative said Doncic and the company paid for 140 parking spots in 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 with one from California, as George Strait’s “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” played 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.

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Luka Doncic and LeBron James are playing inspired basketball, setting up the Lakers for success and paving the way for a championship run.

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, or greatest, 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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