Superstar athletes and cars—one of the best combos we car enthusiasts can ask for. Because what better way can these multimillionaires flaunt their wealth and status than through expensive, exotic cars?
For some, of course, it could be more of a passion for automobiles than just a way to flex. An example could be Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic, who was spotted pulling up to a game against his old team—the Dallas Mavericks—in a Bugatti Mistral.
There might be a few things here that you aren’t familiar with. Since this is Top Gear Philippines and not a sports page, let’s talk about the Mistral first. This, in itself, is one heck of a Bugatti—it’s the world’s fastest open-roof road car, reaching a speed of 453.9kph. It’s also quite rare, as this limited-production hypercar is part of Bugatti’s farewell to its legendary W16. The sticker price? About $5 million, or nearly P300 million.
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Now, for the basketball part. Here’s a quick background on the story for those who don’t speak NBA—Doncic was formerly the Mavericks’ superstar. He was the franchise player for Dallas, the next-generation superstar who was already carrying the torch. In an absolutely shocking blockbuster deal, however, Dallas traded him to Los Angeles for a package that included another superstar in Anthony Davis, along with a few other pieces. This came in the season after Doncic led his team to the NBA Finals.
If you still don’t follow, just imagine if McLaren shipped either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri to a rival team and swapped him for a high-caliber and capable driver, albeit older and less consistent. Neither has won championships yet for Team Papaya, but they’re both cornerstones of the team’s future. That’s how crazy that all was.
That’s why seeing Doncic pull up in a Bugatti had layers to it. Was it a statement? Was it a slap in the face to the Mavs’ front office? We honestly don’t know, and we don’t care one bit, either. Doncic has done it before when he was still in Dallas, anyway, just with a much less exotic car. At the end of the day, we’re just all here for it. More of these nice cars from NBA players, please.
