Dončić’s Return to Dallas: A Night of Emotions and Protests
DALLAS — The atmosphere outside the American Airlines Center was electric, buzzing with anticipation and a hint of nostalgia. It was two and a half hours before tipoff, and a small crowd had already gathered, eyes peeled for any sign of the man of the moment. “There’s Luka!” a fan exclaimed, pointing excitedly toward Dirk Nowitzki Way as a vehicle approached. Whether it was true or not seemed irrelevant in the growing frenzy. A few fans broke into a sprint, speculating that a customized, black Apocalypse HellFire Jeep might — just might — be the one carrying their beloved star.
The Los Angeles Lakers were in town for the first time since the shocking trade on February 1 that sent Luka Dončić away from the Dallas Mavericks. The aftershocks of losing their cherished franchise player were palpable throughout the night as Dončić, scoring an impressive 45 points, led the Lakers to a 112-97 victory over his former team.
Before the game, Rizzy N’Kele stood on the street in a Nowitzki jersey, holding a white poster addressed to Dončić that read, “Thanks For The Memories.” The poster, adorned with three large photos of Dončić, was placed on two plastic folding tables. Fans stopped by to leave messages, and N’Kele mentioned that a contact would help him deliver the poster to Dončić.
“For the rest of Luka’s career, this is still going to be a home game to him,” N’Kele said. “Because I feel like we’re going to be cheering for him when we should be cheering for the Mavs.”
N’Kele had two rules for the poster: no signing on the Dončić photos and no messages of “Fire Nico.” He wanted the poster to remain a positive gift from the city, despite the ongoing anger directed at Mavs general manager Nico Harrison, the architect of the Dončić trade.
Twenty minutes later, the poster was filled with messages. N’Kele rolled it up, packed away his tables, and headed inside.
Meanwhile, in another part of Dallas, street artists Juan Velazquez and Armando Aguirre were putting the finishing touches on a mural that encapsulated their feelings about Harrison’s puzzling explanation for the trade and the ongoing backlash against the Mavs organization. The theme was clear: “Fire Nico.” Velazquez was inspired by a TikTok photo posted shortly after the trade, featuring Chris Taylor, a Mavericks superfan, who had used duct tape to cover the Mavs logo on his hat, replacing it with the anti-Harrison message that quickly became a rallying cry across Dallas.
Velazquez raised $1,000 for materials and labor, using 40 different kinds of yellow, blue, and gray spray paint to recreate Taylor’s hat against a yellow backdrop.
“It’s an iconic piece,” Taylor said, admiring the mural. “And I think it will be, I think it will be received that way. I think it’s going to get a lot of love and a lot of attention.”
Taylor and his friend, Garrett Bussey, had helped ignite the anti-Harrison fervor by getting ejected from a February game after arguing about the trade with Mavericks limited partner Mark Cuban. Despite leading the “Fire Nico” chant at Mavs games over the past two months — including once to Harrison’s face — Taylor wanted to avoid any such spectacle on Wednesday night. He and Bussey viewed Dončić’s return as a celebration instead.
But if others started to chant, Taylor said, he’d happily join in.
Four seconds into the game, “Fire Nico” chants echoed through the American Airlines Center, growing louder as the game progressed.
Fans Came Decked Out
Fans arrived in various versions of Dončić’s jersey. There were the Lakers’ and Mavericks’ No. 77s, his Slovenian national team jersey, and even some Real Madrid gear — a nod to Dončić’s formative years playing basketball in Europe. Fans traveled from London, South Korea, and Thailand for his homecoming.
- “He’s a superstar,” said Robert Mohoric, one of six Slovenian fans who said they together spent 10,000 euros, or about $11,000, to fly to Dallas for the homecoming. “He’s a world superstar. Everybody knows him.”
- Two fans had painted Slovenian flags on their faces and displayed a large flag from their country.
Brian Goldsmith, who holds the Guinness World Record for fastest marathon time in full football gear, wanted to honor Dončić’s return. He ran 77 laps around the American Airlines Center wearing a replica of Dončić’s uniform, including a pair of Luka 2 sneakers he bought at a discount store. Goldsmith ran nearly 25 miles, even though he said the Luka 2s started hurting his feet midway through.
Two fans from Pennsylvania ran eight laps with him, as did staffers of Chop Sports Victory Park, his run’s home base.
Chop Sports is the home of the $7.77 Long Live Luka shot, now a permanent part of the menu. The restaurant offered a special Luka-based menu, including four Luka-themed drinks and three food items, all priced at $7.77, with 77% of proceeds going to Dončić’s foundation. On Wednesday, the bar sold 131 shots and raised $2,000.
“Whether you’re a Laker fan or a Mavericks fan, you love Luka,” Goldsmith said. “The foundation helps everybody, and that’s why I thought I would run. That was the mission, to bring some positivity to the area.”
Positivity aside, the big questions of the evening were: Would protests be allowed? How would the crowd react?
Inside the American Airlines Center, each seat carried a white T-shirt reading “Hvala za vse” — “Thank you for everything” in Dončić’s native language.
A nervous energy seemed to course through the arena. One by one, the visiting players were introduced, but Dončić was saved for last. A 2½-minute tribute followed, encapsulating the Slovenian star’s career, followed by deafening, sustained cheers. Dončić broke down in tears.
“Even if I didn’t see Luka get emotional, I would have gotten emotional,” said season-ticket holder Henry Neely. “Absolutely. Seeing him shed tears was great and emotional at the same time.”
At various moments during the game, fans chanted “MVP” when Dončić was at the free throw line. He received a standing ovation when he exited with 1:37 left on the clock. After the game, N’Kele told ESPN that Dončić saw the banner with the fans’ messages after N’Kele had asked Lakers security to pass it along to him.
At the Height of Anti-Harrison Fervor
In February, Jake Reedy created a blue T-shirt with the general manager’s face decorated with a red clown nose. He sneaked it into the arena on February 13 and then handed out extras to others.
Back then, he wasn’t sure if he’d be ejected or not. He wasn’t, and it sparked another idea to sell the shirts and fill the arena on Wednesday with the same images, driving home the point that fan disdain for Harrison hasn’t diminished.
On Wednesday, Reedy put his shirt sale on display outside the arena, but police asked him to move. Having sold about 500 shirts since February, Reedy said he plans to donate a portion of proceeds to Dončić’s foundation.
A flatbed truck drove by with a large sign that read: “FIRE NICO SELL THE TEAM.” More crowd chants followed.
Walker Duke, ejected in February for an anti-Harrison protest, showed up Wednesday night wearing a T-shirt depicting him and his friend holding up a “Fire Nico” sign. He put another T-shirt over it before entering the arena.
Did the protests make a difference?
“I did everything that I could do as a casual fan,” Reedy said. “I made a message. I donated to a good cause and they changed their policies … At the end of the day, our voices were heard.”
Fans said they hoped the homecoming would bring some closure for a still-grieving city. Even Dončić said that “it’s a hard question” whether he received closure Wednesday.
N’Kele said he remains a Mavs fan despite the heartbreak. “I will say this: Jerry Jones ain’t never hurt me the way Nico did. That’s saying a lot.”
Luis Ellis, a former season-ticket holder, described this as a moment of catharsis, a time to “let Luka feel the love” and letting him know “that the town wasn’t the one that, you know, betrayed you. It was the front office.”
The Mavericks clinched a play-in postseason berth, but in the post-Dončić era, hope has given way to ambivalence. Some season-ticket holders continue to contemplate whether to renew.
Two months ago, Taylor said, he was thinking of keeping his seats but recently decided to give them up.
“It’s possible that I’d go to the game on Friday against Toronto,” Taylor said. “But there’s actually a good chance I’ll never be at a Mavs game again after this.”
Originally Written by: Michael Rothstein
