The Dallas Mavericks front office faces growing hostility from fans still reeling from the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. On Monday night, the tension reached a boiling point when several protesting fans were ejected from American Airlines Center during the Mavericks’ home game against the Sacramento Kings.
The outrage over Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison and the team’s new ownership group—led by Patrick Dumont and Miriam Adelson—has only intensified since the controversial February 1 trade that shipped 25-year-old franchise superstar Luka Dončić to a conference rival.
Fans had already staged an initial protest outside the arena on Saturday, demanding that Harrison be fired and that ownership sell the team. On Monday, the frustration spilled inside the arena, where fans brought signs reading “Fire Nico” and used the Mavericks’ in-game entertainment segments to get their message across.
A fan appeared to mouth the words “Fire Nico” during a karaoke segment on the arena’s video board instead of singing along. Soon after, he and another fan were seen holding up “Fire Nico” signs, which quickly drew the attention of arena security.
According to videos posted online, the fans lowered their signs when approached by staff but were later escorted from their seats to a chorus of boos from the crowd.
Fans were ejected for Protesting
Multiple reports, including from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, confirmed that the fans removed were the ones holding anti-Harrison signs.
A separate report from The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson indicated that security personnel specifically targeted fans protesting against Harrison, with “several people” ejected from the game for similar actions.
As if tensions weren’t high enough, Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont—who took over following Mark Cuban’s recent sale of a majority stake in the team—was reportedly booed heavily when he took his courtside seat.
This occurred just an hour before Dončić made his highly anticipated Lakers debut in Los Angeles, making the contrast between Dallas’ turmoil and L.A.’s excitement even more glaring.
Mavericks remain silent as chaos unfolds
By the time the game ended in a 129-128 overtime loss to the Kings, the Mavericks organization had not addressed the incident publicly.
Head coach Jason Kidd did not hold a postgame press conference, leaving fans with no explanation for why protesters were removed.
However, one thing is clear: silencing dissent won’t erase the anger brewing since Dončić’s departure. If anything, it has only fueled more resentment among Mavericks fans, many of whom believe their franchise just made the biggest mistake in team history.
With Dallas struggling to move forward post-Dončić and Anthony Davis now sidelined with an injury, the backlash against Harrison and ownership isn’t going away anytime soon.