I love watching Dallas Mavericks star point guard Luka Doncic play. The Slovenian megastar has been turning heads ever since he arrived in Japan in 2018, and 2024 was no different.
But his insistence that the staff at the Mavericks' American Airlines Center remove the fan who heckled him is entirely benign.
A video posted on Twitter by Suns beating reporter Duane Rankin includes Luka saying, “Luka are you tired? Get on the treadmill!”
Doncic then gestured to Mavericks staff to remove the fans.
“Luca, I'm tired, get on the treadmill!”
Luka Doncic's reaction to fan voices.
Luka Doncic then pointed out fans being talked to by arena staff.
Kyrie Irving walked over and looked at the fans who had just left.#sans 100 #mavs 78 after 3. pic.twitter.com/6npgrJhj6J
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 25, 2024
After the timeout, Doncic consulted with Mavericks vice president of security Brian Kinzig and had the fans ejected. according to To ESPN.
This is very soft and a very bad look for one of the NBA's brightest stars. Don't let me see you sweating, kid. (Related article: Struggling Washington Wizards resign head coach Wes Unseld Jr. midseason, not-so-shocking move)
The ejection came during a chaotic third quarter for the Mavs. The Mavs led the Suns by 16 points at one point in the first half, but were trailing by 22 points at the time of the recorded jeers.
After the game, Doncic sparred with the media, slamming unfair coverage and defending his decision to exclude fans. (Related: Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups betrays referees, team loses game, gets thrown out with overtime)
Luka took exception to ESPN's Tim McMahon's coverage of the incident, whining, “I knew you'd be the first to point something like that out.” I'm not going to say what he said, but I just thought it was funny because I knew you were the first to put something like that out there. You always seem to be the first to say bad things about me. ”
After Luka Doncic and Tim McMahon's match, Luka discusses ejecting a fan.
video: @Duane Rankin pic.twitter.com/dkIfTPNrcn
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 25, 2024
Doncic claimed that fans were taunting him throughout the first half. When asked by reporters why he wasn't sent off sooner, he replied: They pay for the tickets, which was enough for me. It's a bit of a frustration. ”
Just frustration. The loss was Dallas' third in a row, and coach Jason Kidd said the team lost focus in the game, dropping to eighth place in the Western Conference.
Still, Doncic continued to whine, saying, “I'm going to be the bad guy in the media.'' it's okay. ” When asked if he felt he was unfairly portrayed in the media, he simply answered, “No.”
Massive crybaby energy coming from one of the NBA's biggest stars. There's no question that what the fans were saying earlier was probably obscene and unnecessary, but for a player who is the NBA's second-leading scorer and averages close to a triple-double. , I can't afford to worry about things like this.
Members of the Suns disagreed with Doncic's decision. “At the end of the day, the fans are a little wrong, but they shouldn't get rid of him,” Suns center Jusuf Nurkic said.
“At the end of the day, the fans are a little wrong, but they shouldn't be kicked out.”
Jusuf Nurkic, who plays Luka Doncic, reacts to heckling from fans #sans win with #mavs.
Nurkic reflected on Devin Booker's 46-point night, scoring 22 points in the third quarter:
“It's not a Christmas game anymore.” pic.twitter.com/MYzbOemZNY
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 25, 2024
Star Suns forward Kevin Durant also alluded to the incident, claiming, “If someone says something mean to me, I'll say it back and we'll move on.” Usually it should be. If it goes too far, it's so rude that the match has to be stopped, but that's different. ”
“If someone says something mean to me, I say something back and move on. Normally that's how it should be. If it goes too far, it's rude enough that I have to stop the match, but… That's different.'' Kevin Durant heckles Luka Doncic as he responds to a fan. #sans #MFFL pic.twitter.com/YDvMvEwv7i
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 25, 2024
