Maverick’s PR Nightmare Continues As Fan Is Ejected From Game For Mouthing ‘Fire Nico,’ Referencing Embattled GM Nico Harrison Who Traded Doncic

A week after the shocking trade that sent Luka Doncic to Los Angeles, fan tumult in Dallas has not died down. In fact, as the news has sunk in, fans have only grown more resolutely frustrated – protesting outside American Airlines Center during the first home game after the trade and, now, bringing their ire to the jumbotron.

Fans weren’t shown on the big screen in the first game against the Houston Rockets, but they returned during a karaoke segment on Monday against the Sacramento Kings. That move proved a mistake: a fan immediately mouthed “Fire Nico,” in reference to Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, a slogan that has become nearly ubiquitous in Mavericks spaces over the past week.

That fan, along with others holding “FIRE NICO” signs, would be removed from the arena during the game to raucous booing from the crowd.

Fans also expressed their displeasure with other members of the ownership group, booing Mavericks governor and majority owner Patrick Dumont and even getting into a shouting match with former owner Mark Cuban. The movement has even gone beyond Mavericks games – students at an SMU basketball game chanted, “Fire Nico!” as he sat courtside.

The trade caused many fans to swear off their Mavericks, at least temporarily, and these new crackdowns haven’t done the organization any favors. Neither did Dallas’ overtime loss to the Kings, or new star Anthony Davis’ apparent long-term injury.

The Mavs’ Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving commented on the situation postgame, saying that they understood the fans’ frustration.

“You just got to give everybody grace,” Irving said. “To see the emotions come out like that over basketball, that just shows you that basketball is not just a game to certain people. It’s a spiritual experience. It’s a connector piece, and they watch their favorite players, and they want to see them forever. So, I run the side of just understanding where people are coming from.”

“I mean, people are going to say stuff, and that’s understandable,” Thompson said. “I was a fan, still a fan. If I didn’t agree with a trade, I’d probably voice my opinion too. That’s the beauty of sports. You go there to yell and be rambunctious sometimes.”

Most importantly, though, they emphasized the need for the players to block out the noise.

“It’s not our job to get deflated because people are upset,” said Thompson. “Our job is to convince them that there’s really great days ahead, not just for this year but for the next few years.”

That’s a promise that might be difficult to uphold, and not only because the Mavericks are injury-ridden. They’ve damaged their fanbase’s trust for good – and trust is a resource that’s hard to earn back.