An emotional Luka Dončić return to Dallas battered the fanbase. Now, it must ‘move on’
In the early evening in the Victory Park neighborhood of Dallas on Wednesday, it was fittingly a warm, but breezy, 77 degrees as the buzz grew louder in Victory Plaza in front of the steps of the American Airlines Center.
It’s been a little over two months since the Dallas Mavericks shocked the entire sports world by trading one of the best young superstars in the sport, shooting guard Luka Dončić, to the Los Angeles Lakers. The news of the trade broke shortly before midnight on a Saturday in February. The landscape and trajectory of the Mavericks franchise was upended literally overnight.
For a Mavericks fanbase that grew attached to Dončić, similar to their affection for fellow European superstar Dirk Nowitzki during his 21-year career in Dallas, the trade was devastating in the moment and maliciously pernicious in the weeks after.
As Dončić returned to the American Airlines Center on Wednesday night for the first time since the Trade Heard ‘Round the World, emotions continued to run high with a fanbase that is still processing losing its superstar.
“We’re trying to heal wounds,” a fan Nicole said alongside her husband and third-grade son. “It’s been devastating. When we found out about the trade, I thought it was a joke. I went from crying hysterical to laughing. I wouldn’t let myself feel it. It changed our lives.”
For a closeknit family of three that bonded each night by watching Mavericks games together, the trade immediately made them feel conflicted. Even though their Mavericks support still runs deep, they have since worked Lakers games into their family bonding time as well to continue to support Dončić.
“Luka brought the joy back to the game for me,” Nicole said. “I wasn’t really watching basketball since Michael Jordan. He bridged the gap. He has brought so much joy into my life.”
Some fans aren’t as forgiving.
Many Mavericks fans have since changed their allegiance to follow Dončić as he embarks on the next step of his career in Los Angeles.
“We were die-hard Mavericks fans, but we can’t support the unloyalty,” Madison Perrin of Dallas said alongside his two buddies. “Luka was bigger than basketball, he was the next Dirk. The Dirk statue says ‘Loyalty Never Fades’ and obviously that’s not true with the new ownership.”
The ownership group, led by the Adelson and Dumont family of Las Vegas casino wealth, bought majority stake in the franchise in Jan. 2024. They chose to retain general manager Nico Harrison, who has been with the club since 2021. As the Dončić anger continues to rage from the fanbase, Harrison and the ownership group continue to take the brunt of the blame.
On Wednesday night, as Dončić commanded his presence by scoring a game-high 45 points in a 112-97 Los Angeles win, chants of “Fire Nico” rained from the concourse level to the courtside seats while Harrison spectated from the mid-court tunnel, surrounded by security.
“We want to be here to show support for Luka, and to send a message to the Adelson family and Nico Harrison that they ruined a beautiful thing,” Perrin said. “Luka was bigger than basketball.”
If a random spectator had walked by Victory Plaza in the early evening hours on Wednesday, they would probably think a protest was happening. In a lot of ways, there was. Fans chanting “Fire Nico” with signs and jerseys, a preacher speaking in a loud megaphone about forgiveness and hope, spirited conversations ensuing with supporters of the move.
One family looked on.
A husband and wife joined by their two kids took in the atmosphere in their Slovenia National Team Doncic jerseys, not saying many words. The family, originally from Slovenia, had traveled 8,000 miles from Dubai to witness Dončić’s return to the city they had grown to love alongside their native hero.
“We’ve been here on a lot of previous occasions, it was always special,” the husband, Ales, said. “It’s a special city. It felt like another home. Unfortunately, that story has ended.”
Ales wanted one last moment in Dallas with Dončić, on his own terms, even if this game was unlike any he had ever seen at American Airlines Center.
“I still cannot comprehend it,” he said with tears in his eyes. “I can appreciate the love that this city has for Luka. It’s still shocking, even today. I’m emotional being here.”
The fans outside and inside the arena on Wednesday night shared the same emotions as the superstar they came to witness. As a tribute video played during pregame introductions, tears streamed down Dončić’s face as he looked away before its end.
After tying his season-high in points, Dončić gave a reflective, but introspective message to the fans that paraded around him for six and a half seasons in Dallas.
“I love these fans, I love this city. But it’s time for me to move on.”
Even though one fan named Walker said that acceptance isn’t quite there yet, Wednesday night did serve as healing.
For the Mavericks fanbase. For Luka Dončić. For the entire Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
“It helped me get over the grief,” teenager Reese said postgame “It definitely sucks, but I feel happy for him. We still love him here.”
Whether those wounds ever fully heal or continue to haunt the franchise for years to come will wait to be seen. But for now, the moment is the moment. Everything down the line leads to closure.
“Talk about closure, sometimes it’s hard,” Dončić said postgame. “I just got to focus on different things now.”
And now unfortunately for Mavericks fans, so do they.
