Luka Doncic Makes It Special For NBA Rookie Cameron Carr With His First Ever Bucket

Luka Doncic praises Cameron Carr© Instagram/ Lukadoncic and Instagram/ whois.camcarr

Every rookie remembers the first bucket and Luka Doncic made sure Cameron Carr got his. Speaking in a post-game interview after the Los Angeles Lakers' win over the Atlanta Hawks, Luka explained why he wanted the young player to have that moment, and he had only good things to say about how Carr handled his first NBA minutes.

Luka Doncic Praises Cameron Carr

The Lakers beat the Hawks 124-114 in Atlanta on Monday night, but it also marked Cameron Carr's first NBA game, and Luka Doncic made sure it came with a lasting memory. In the post-game interview he was asked about setting up the rookie's first bucket, and his answer was simple. “Obviously, you always want to remember your first bucket. You know, when you want to get that ball.” He added, “So you know its kind of important for me to let him get it.” Luka finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists, and one of those assists went to Carr, who got to put the first basket of his career on the board.

Asked what he had seen from Carr in those early minutes of the win, Luka kept his answer short at first: “He was good. He was really good.” Then he turned to how tough the job is for a rookie, saying, “You know, It's not easy to just get in the game, play the game. So he was very good. So he's just got to keep going on it.” The message for Carr was practical, not flashy: just stay with it.

Carr's Road To L.A.

Carr's path to the Lakers took a few turns, and the biggest one came on draft night. He played college basketball at both Tennessee and Baylor, and averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game with the Bears. The New York Knicks selected him with the 24th overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, but he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. That made Monday's game in Atlanta his NBA debut in a Lakers uniform.