National Basketball Association

Spencer Dinwiddie reveals why he chose Lakers over Mavericks

Published Feb. 12, 2024 6:14 p.m. ET

The Los Angeles Lakers have more talent in their backcourt after signing veteran point guard Spencer Dinwiddie.

Dinwiddie, a 6-foot-5 point guard known for his scoring and playmaking abilities, chose the Lakers over the Dallas Mavericks following a buyout from the Toronto Raptors. The buyout came after he was traded to Toronto by Brooklyn for Dennis Schröder.

When asked by reporters why he made the decision to return to his hometown Los Angeles, Dinwiddie gave a peculiar answer.

"I'll give y'all something funny that I told my people," Dinwiddie said via ESPN. "The two situations kind of felt like this, right? Let's say you're a kid and you get your ass whooped by the bully. Dallas would have been like your mama, like, ‘It's OK, baby, don't worry about it.
"The Lakers are like your dad: ‘Nah, you better go out there and fight ‘til you win', and I just felt like that was what I needed at the time. … So I'm a big believer in kind of doing what you need to do at whatever time it is so that's how I felt about it."

Dinwiddie's comments can be interpreted as him saying that the Mavericks, as an organization, take a more passive approach to losing, while the Lakers' culture is built around winning championships. If true, those sentiments carry an extra bit of weight considering Dinwiddie played for Dallas from Feb. 2022 to Feb. 2023.

Whatever Dindwiddie meant by his strange analogy, the Lakers are expected to be better off for it. The 30-year-old has averaged 12.6 points and six assists per game in 48 appearances this season.

Dinwiddie will be available when the Lakers play the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday. The Lakers are currently 28-26 and ranked ninth in the Western Conference.

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