Emotions are still running high among Dallas Mavericks fans.
The city is still reeling from the trade that saw superstar Luka Doncic leave their franchise and join the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis.
And the fallout from trading arguably the second-best player in franchise history was on full display in the Mavs’ recent game.
In a wild night at the American Airlines Center, multiple fans were ejected in the second half of Dallas’ 129-128 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday.
The removals occurred after supporters, in different ways, voiced their frustration over Doncic’s shock trade away from Dallas.
A team spokesperson said fans were ejected for violations of the NBA’s code of conduct, but the crowd booed their removal as each fan was taken away from their seats.
The most visible demonstration of anger was when two fans held large signs that read, “FIRE NICO” — a reference to Dallas general manager Nico Harrison who had a major hand in the Doncic trade.
In a moment that went viral on social media, one of the men holding the signs was seen mouthing ‘fire Nico’ on the big screens in the arena before the camera quickly panned out.
Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont, whose family purchased the majority share of the franchise from Mark Cuban last season, was loudly jeered when returning to his seat in the third quarter.
Cuban, the former majority shareholder of the Mavericks, got into a shouting match with two fans from his baseline seat by the Mavericks, according to ESPN.
The two fans, including one who wore Doncic’s Slovenian national team jersey, were ejected after yelling, “Fire Nico!” to which Cuban replied, “Shut the f*** up and sit the f*** down!”
The 66-year-old told ESPN that fans were shouting while the Mavericks were shooting free throws and again during a critical possession late in regulation.
Cuban, who was not pleased with fans protesting during a game, reportedly tried to stop the trade that saw Doncic leave Dallas from happening.
Per NBA insider Marc Stein, Cuban “urged” Harrison not to trade Doncic for Davis but his plea came too late as the GM was intent on seeing it through.
Harrison has been subjected to intense scrutiny since he agreed to the blockbuster deal that sent five-time All-Star Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in return for ten-time All-Star big man AD.
Over 1,000 people protested outside the Mavs’ arena on Saturday before their win over the Houston Rockets where chants of ‘Fire Nico’ and ‘Sell the team’ rang out.
The backlash from the trade has even caused Harrison to sit somewhere else from his usual lower bowl seats in recent Dallas games.
The trade package has not got off to the best of starts for the Mavs.
Davis was injured on his Dallas debut and has had to pull out of the upcoming NBA All-Star weekend.
He is expected to miss multiple weeks due to a left abductor strain.
Meanwhile, Doncic made his debut for the Lakers on February 10 against the Utah Jazz, putting up 14 points, four assists and five rebounds in 24 minutes during the 132-112 victory.