Luka Doncic couldn’t resist the harassment he received from courtside fans during Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Timberwolves at Target Center.
And whenever the Mavericks star had the chance to appeal to Minnesota fans, he made sure to return the appeal.
Plus, the Mavericks won 124-103 on Thursday night, with Doncic tying Kyrie Irving for a game-high 36 points, and punched their ticket to face the Celtics in next week’s NBA Finals.
TNT cameras captured Doncic taking a shot with the Mavericks leading by nearly 40 points in the third quarter, drawing a foul and then taunting a fan who was reportedly jeering him.
“Yeah! Who’s crying, you motherfucker!” Doncic yelled at the fans sitting behind the basket.
While the moment was memorable enough in itself, some media outlets, including broadcasters, speculated that Doncic was yelling at rap legend Snoop Dogg, who happened to be sitting behind the basket.
“And now he’s arguing with Snoop.” Reggie Miller said on TNT.“Snoop appreciates the work that’s been put in. He loves it.”
Play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle mentioned Snoop again shortly after the highlights of the play aired.
“Luka Doncic sends sweet message to Snoop Dogg” Eagle said“I just want to let you know that I’m glad you came and paid for your seat.”
Still, a video from The Washington Post’s Ben Golliver paints a clearer picture of who Doncic was interacting with.
Footage from what appears to be the early stages of the game showed a fan in a blue suit appearing to cry behind the goal in the direction Doncic was looking.
Conference finals. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters
Golliver also wrote on X that a fan was waving a handkerchief at Luka Doncic early in the first quarter, apparently referring to him yelling foul.
According to Golliver, Doncic continued to look toward the fans afterwards.
The superstar will surely face some more jeers from fans in the coming days when the Finals begin in Boston on June 6.
