On an emotional night in Dallas when security ejected multiple Mavericks fans who called for general manager Nico Harrison’s job, the loudest statement anyone made about the Luka Dončić trade came from California.
Dirk Nowitzki, the most beloved player in Mavericks franchise history, traveled to Los Angeles. He was there to watch Dončić’s Lakers debut. He sat near Dončić’s father, Saša, and Dončić’s business manager, Lara Beth Seager, in a public show of support for his friend and mentee.
Nowitzki and Dončić were teammates for one season in 2018-19.
I will always be a Mav for life, but had to come support my guy 77 @luka7doncic in the first game of his new chapter!
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) February 11, 2025
Dončić looked rusty in his first game in six and a half weeks, but there were flashes of the shot-making and playmaking brilliance that became commonplace in his Mavericks tenure. Dončić scored 14 points as the Lakers crushed the 14th-place Utah Jazz 132-113.
Nowitzki expressed shock via social media in the early morning hours on Feb. 2 when news broke that the Mavericks were trading Dončić.
In retirement, Nowitzki watched Dončić carry the Mavericks to a Western Conference finals in 2022, score 73 points in a regular-season game, make five All-NBA First Teams and average 28.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.1 assists in last year’s playoffs, which culminated in an NBA Finals appearance.
In Dallas, the first nine days after the trade were chaotic.
While the Mavericks completed their five-game road trip, fans gathered in front of the Nowitzki statue at PNC Plaza and held a mock funeral.
On Saturday, the Mavericks played their first home game in 12 days, and a group of roughly 100 fans protested the Dončić trade outside American Airlines Center.
Anthony Davis, the 10-time All-Star Dallas acquired in the trade, dominated in his Mavericks debut before exiting late in the third quarter with a left adductor strain. Davis insisted it was nothing serious. However, Davis was unable to play Monday and is expected to be sidelined for multiple weeks.
Mavs’ Anthony Davis to miss multiple weeks; Kyrie Irving takes All-Star spot
On Monday, the Mavericks lost Daniel Gafford — their last healthy center with real NBA experience — to a right knee sprain in the second quarter. They kept the game close against the Sacramento Kings, but what happened on the court was overshadowed by the scene in the stands. Security ejected multiple Mavericks fans.
One fan was booted for holding up a sign that displayed what Mavericks officials deemed “derogatory characterization” toward Harrison. The sign read, “FIRE NICO.” The Mavericks said it was a violation of the NBA Fan Code of Conduct. Earlier in the game, that same fan had mouthed the phrase “Fire Nico” when he was shown on the Jumbotron.
A second Mavericks fan was escorted out of the building after engaging in a verbal back-and-forth with Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban. A video showed Cuban telling the fan, “Shut the f— up and sit down.” The Mavericks said the fan was “intoxicated, disruptive and uncooperative,” another violation of the NBA Fan Code of Conduct.
Mavericks fan ejected after mouthing ‘Fire Nico’ during loss to Kings
The Mavericks still have two more home games before they get a temporary reprieve during the All-Star break. They host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday and the Miami Heat on Thursday. Every in-arena decision they make is being held under a microscope after Monday’s game. The Mavericks chose not to show any fans on the Jumbotron on Saturday, and the first time they panned to fans on the video screen Monday, a fan called for Harrison to be fired.
On Saturday, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd expressed sympathy to the the team’s fan base.
“That’s freedom of speech,” Kidd said. ‘That’s why they are called fans. But for us, it’s a matter of getting this to move forward, and that’s what we have to do.”
On Monday, Kidd chose not to speak after the game for the first time all season. The injury-decimated Mavericks were in position to secure a win when Klay Thompson hit a go-ahead 3 with 10 seconds remaining in overtime. But Sacramento Kings wing DeMar DeRozan responded with a basket on his team’s next possession, which secured the win for Sacramento.
Kidd was teammates with Nowitzki on the Mavericks’ 2010-11 championship squad. In 2022, Kidd spoke at the unveiling of Nowitzki’s statue at PNC Plaza. Nowitzki remained a Maverick through some of the most difficult days in franchise history, including the team’s finals setback in 2006 and their first-round upset loss in 2007.
Monday was one of the darkest days in team history. Meanwhile, Nowitzki was in sunny Los Angeles to support the player he thought he had passed the proverbial baton off to when he retired in 2019.
(Photo of Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Dončić: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
