The sports world was dialed in for Wednesday’s huge matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers were in Dallas for the first time since the Luka Doncic trade, and emotions were high on both sides.

Doncic was moved to tears after a tribute video was played for him in the arena, and he received love from the fans all game long. He parlayed the support into an incredible night, scoring 45 points in his highly anticipated return to Dallas.

Several celebrities and sports figures were in attendance on Wednesday night, including Patrick Mahomes and Derrick Henry. Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki was also at the game, and he was joined by his future colleague at Amazon Prime Video, Taylor Rooks.

“Lakers-Mavs with my new teammate!!! NBA on Prime Coming at ya October 2025,” Rooks said on social media, promoting the streaming service’s NBA coverage next season.

Rooks will be a featured member of the service’s NBA broadcasting lineup, joining Nowitzki and another former All-Star in Blake Griffin for in-studio analysis.

Rooks also works with Amazon on “Thursday Night Football,” where she often interviews star players in the week leading up to the game.

Ian Eagle and Kevin Harlan will handle play-by-play duties, giving the broadcast a similar feel to nationally televised games on TNT. Amazon will be one of the league’s new media partners next season, along with NBC.

LANDOVER, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 05: Taylor Rooks looks on before the game between the Chicago Bears and the Washington Commanders at FedExField on October 05, 2023 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

G Fiume/Getty Images

The new deal begins with the 2025-26 season, and it will end a decades-long partnership with Turner Broadcasting. NBA games have been on TNT or TBS since the 1980s, but growing media trends meant that the league was likely going to benefit from moving away from traditional cable television.

Embracing streaming is embracing the future for the NBA, and the league will look to attract new fans as it transitions into a new era.

We’ll see what Rooks and the rest of Amazon’s NBA team have in store for fans next season. For now, the NBA playoffs are set to begin later this month, as teams will look to follow in the footsteps of the Boston Celtics – last year’s NBA champion.