After shifting its entire programming plan on Saturday to accommodate a Los Angeles Lakers game that did not feature the newly acquired Luka Dončić (or LeBron James for that matter), ESPN will again attempt to air the superstar’s debut in purple and gold.
Sunday, the network issued a press release announcing that it will air Monday night’s game between the Utah Jazz and the aforementioned Lakers at 10:30 p.m. ET. It’s expected that Luka Dončić will actually make his debut on Monday night. The game will air on ESPN, ESPN+, and Disney+.
Programming Update: @ESPNNBA will present Luka Dončić’s expected Lakers debut ⁰⁰Monday | 10:30p ET | Utah Jazz vs Los Angeles Lakers | ESPN, ESPN+, Disney+
More: https://t.co/d4Pqf50eLO pic.twitter.com/xwPnokieqy
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) February 9, 2025
ESPN made several changes to its programming schedule on Saturday to make sure Dončić’s debut would be seen by a national audience. The network shifted the Duke-Clemson college basketball game back 30 minutes to accommodate the new NBA window. That game also happened to be the return of legendary broadcaster Dick Vitale, who received a roaring ovation from the Clemson crowd at the top of the broadcast.
Unfortunately, most of America missed the great moment on account of an NBA game that featured neither Dončić nor James.
There’s not much that ESPN could do about the situation. In fact, their intentions were pure. The country is very interested in seeing Dončić in a Lakers jersey — it’s simply unfortunate it didn’t happen as they planned.
Luckily, ESPN isn’t shying away from the same strategy on Monday night.
