By : Jeffrey Norris | February 12, 2025

From 41.21.1 to 77.6-1/2.2.

PC: Texas Monthly

“Loyalty Never Fades Away.” -Inscription on NBA HOF Dirk Nowitzki’s statue outside of American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas

PC: Wikipedia

When I was a freshman in high school, I got NBA 2K 16 for my Xbox. The cover had Steph Curry, James Harden, and Anthony Davis. I played blacktop mode with my friends as we tried to assemble the most overpowered teams we could. Lebron. Curry. Kobe. Harden. Cousins. PG. We learned the ins and outs of team building on MyGM mode. We put hours into MyPlayer mode to earn VC, get sponsorships, and max out our three-point shooting ratings. I used to LIVE for the NBA trade deadline. That week leading up to it, and the NFL Draft were some of the most anticipated days of the whole year, right up there with Christmas. I kept a notes tab in my phone to keep track of every single trade so that I could go home and change the roster on 2K before they would even update it. I would sit in the back of my high school classes that whole week so that I could refresh Bleacher Report every few minutes so that I wouldn’t miss even the smallest of 2nd round pick swaps. I got to watch some of the last few great All-Star weekends in those days. The 2016 All-Star events in Toronto, ON highlighted by Zach Lavine and Aaron Gordon facing off in the dunk contest. It was truly the best time to be a basketball fan in my mind. Almost a decade later though, I look back on the 2025 tradeline with much less fondness than those golden years.

By default of where I lived in DFW, I became a fan of the Dallas Mavericks and watched Dirk Nowitzki in the twilight years of his career. I got to watch arguably the most loyal star player in sports stay and take pay cuts to play with the team that took a chance on him in the 1998 NBA draft. What Dirk did made a lasting impression on the city of Dallas. In a league that was very player driven, seeing stars demand trades every season was very common, and added to the fun in my mind of roster shakeup. The atmosphere of the league however, made Dirk’s commitment to one organization and turning down millions of dollars elsewhere, very unique. One memory I’ll never forget was getting to see Dirk’s last game. I had watched Kobe’s last game on TV and it was special, but this i got to see in person. I went with my dad and I still have the ticket framed to this day. April 9, 2019 was a special day in Dallas, Texas. 41.21.1. was inscribed everywhere. T-shirts, banners, and the Jumbotron. Dirk (jersey No. 41), ending a 21-year career, all with 1 team. I honestly don’t remember much about the game itself, except that they played the Phoenix Suns, and I remember that Jamal Crawford had 51 points that night in a losing effort to the Mavs. I do remember legends like Charles Barkley, Jason Kidd, and Scottie Pippen. One thing that Pippen said stuck with me. “You (Dirk) played the game the right way.” That made an impression on me, and really began to understand that the Mavericks had a unique identity unlike other teams in the league. We were loyal and stuck with our guys. The whole night was surreal, and it was special to hear people talk about the Mavs 2011 title run, and not having a “superteam” or a “Big 3” on their team while doing so. Doing my own research and learning that Dirk and the Mavericks had to go through Kobe and Pau Gasol’s Lakers, Oklahoma City with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, and face off against LeBron James, D-Wade, and Bosh’s Miami Heat team changed my perspective on the necessity of having a superteam to win a championship. One star who wanted to be in one city could make his teammates buy in, and Dirk did that. It would have to be someone special, a player who comes around once in a lifetime. It was a harder path than assembling a team with multiple all-stars. Years later, they named Nowitzki Ave. after Dirk and it was time for him to get his statue outside of American Airlines Center. It was very appropriately enscripted “Loyalty Never Fades Away” under a sculpture of Dirk doing his signature one-legged fadeaway shot.

PC: MavsMoneyball

What I had hoped for though, was a young superstar that could make Dallas relevant again. Loyalty by Dirk was incredible to watch, but I also wanted someone who was a younger guy who was on MY team in MY city and someone who I could connect with better. In 2018 after a rough season, Dallas had the No. 5 pick in the draft. After a trade with the Atlanta Hawks sending Oklahoma Sooners superstar Trae Young to the Peach State, Dallas landed 18-year old phenom from Slovenia. Luka Doncic. 

Dirk and the Mavs RAVED about the potential of Luka from the jump. Large expectations were placed on him, he was supposed to be better than Dirk even was I read. Immediately, you could tell a difference in these Dallas Mavericks teams. They had life, they were having fun. Luka Doncic made even average roll players look MILES better. He won over the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex fairly quickly with his dominant offensive skillset, and his infectious personality, and desire to just have fun. In DFW, we got to see Luka grow up from a kid from Europe into a man from Texas. He’s married now, and has a daughter. He bought a horned frog named Luka Jr. When asked why on earth he had a real horned frog, he responded “Because I’m Texan”. I guess that’s just something he thought Texans have. He identified with us, he wanted to be one of us, and the city fully embraced him. In college, the cover athlete for NBA 2K 22 was rumored to be Luka Doncic. The Mavs Esports team had apparently painted the leaked cover on the side of their building. I drove to Deep Ellum to see if the rumors were true, and was thrilled to see Luka on the mural. Everyone in the world that played the game would get to see OUR player from OUR city of Dallas, Texas when they loaded up the game. He did so much for the city and was nothing less than dominant on the national stage.

On the court, Luka was a threat to score a triple double every single night, no matter who the Mavericks faced. There are many viral moments that I remember vividly. The corner 3 in Portland to send the game to OT, the intentionally missed FT to rebound then make a shot to send a game to OT, shaking 3x DPOTY Rudy Gobert with a game-winning step-back to beat the Timberwolves, reaching the NBA Finals, and of course being able to make passes that most didn’t even know were open. There was a certain feeling every time Luka shot the ball that it had a chance to go in. It didn’t matter of he had three defenders on him or if it was from the opposite side of the court. Everyone in the league knew they called it Luka Magic for a reason. 

PC: LA Times

The magic in Dallas however, is no more. The dream is over. The very heart and soul of DFW sports, has been ripped from its core. 

Unbeknownst to the world, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison and Los Angeles Lakers GM Rob Pelinka met at Ascension Coffee in Dallas weeks before the NBA trade deadline. The topic of their discussion? Trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers. To put this into perspective if how outrageous the mention of this idea would be, if you tried to trade Luka for virtually anything in NBA 2K, the game would block it. To trade your 25 year old superstar who carried a team to the Finals the year before would be laughable, impossible to comprehend. Right?

Wrong. In the late hours of February 1 (Central Time), a notification popped up on TVs and phones across the world. It had a message in big capitalized letters. I was about to head to bed but decided to see what the commotion was about. “LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO LAKERS FOR ANTHONY DAVIS, MAX CHRISTIE, AND A 2029 FIRST ROUND PICK.” I sat there and had to read it at least 5 more times. “What?” I audibly said. I thought that ESPN or NBA reporter Shams Charnia who had reported it must have been hacked. There is no way that would happen I thought. Especially not for only ONE first round pick. A trade like this would surely vet at least 4. The more I read, the more I realized it was real. As my disbelief turned into confusion, anger and then sadness sunk in. Luka Doncic, OUR guy was gone. The guy who WANTED to be here, was shipped out. As the texts and Twitter notifications came rushing in like a flood, I decided to go to bed and wake up tomorrow. I told myself I was having a bad dream. Unfortunately when I woke up the next morning, it was still real. The outrage and confusion of Mavericks fans, media personalities, and NBA players was unlike anything most have ever seen in the NBA. People demanded answers and found very little to satisfy their questions. Luka himself later stated that he was shocked, and then cried. After all he had given and been through with Dallas, they moved on in the dead of the night. It was supposed to be 77.21.1. like Dirk had. Now through no fault of his own, his time in the league is 6 and a half seasons with 2 teams. 77.6-1/2.2. 

PC: Unknown

Fast forward, and the week and a half following and since has been nothing but a worst case scenario for the Mavericks. Anthony Davis who was received in the deal, is a phenomenal player, but has a lengthy injury history. His nickname is ‘street clothes’ because of how often he is hurt. Go figure that after a great first half as a Maverick, Anthony Davis went down with a non-contact injury. Daniel Gafford is hurt. Derrick Lively II is still hurt. Credit to AD and Max Christie however, they have given all they have to Dallas so far, and I hope for nothing but the best for them. Christie is a promising young player with a good 3-point shot and above average defense. The Mavs have spiraled from having the best roster in the history of the franchise to a confusing and uninspiring team whose executives have decided to wage war against the fans. The chants of “Fire Nico” in reference to GM Nico Harrison who orchestrated this trade, and “sell the team” chants in response to the new owners who are from Las Vegas. They are not from here, do not know much about basketball, and many fans have made it clear that they feel the owners are here to make money, not run a functional team. The very mention of these things has seen numerous fans thrown out of the American Airlines Center. The organization claims that the fans are ‘breaking the NBA fan code of conduct’, to which they point to “Fire Nico” and “sell the team” as ‘derogatory’ and ‘offensive’ statements. To try and enter the arena with a shirt that says “Fire Nico” will result in you not being allowed inside with it on, or the shirt ripped from your hands and confiscated if it is not on you. Many feel it would have been easier for fans to move on and support the current team if the team executives had not been making it worse. There was a large protest of the trade outside of the arena this past Saturday. Some questioned what the protest was supposed to accomplish as the trade would not be rescinded. Many of the fans expressed that the purpose of it was simply to let Luka know how much he meant to the city of Dallas and for them to voice their displeasure with the Mavs front office. 

In 2023, longtime Mavs owner Mark Cuban sold the majority stake of the team to the Miriam Adelson family, who owned many casinos and businesses in Las Vegas. Cuban was a passionate fan of the team and can often still be seen sitting courtside at games. These new owners however clearly did not know much about basketball. In recent days they have had to shut down theories that they are trying to make the team unprofitable and relocate to Vegas. They had plans for a casino/hotel/basketball arena in Dallas, but failed to get Texas State Legislature to pass an amendment legalizing gambling. To pass such an act would be difficult, as the Texas State Constitution explicitly outlaws it. In Vegas however, they would theoretically be able to build their proposed building with little issue. Nico Harrison, former Nike executive had been appointed the GM, after the departure of longtime GM Donnie Nelson. Nelson accused the Mavs of firing him after he informed the team that his nephew had been assaulted by a team executive. The lawsuit has since been settled. Nico Harrison at first seemed like a great GM. He was able to make trades that improved the team, and sign good free-agents. Since that the Luka trade after diving in deeper, he has been accused by sources within the building of being a very ‘power hungry’ individual who will get rid of anyone who stands in his way as reported by Iztok Franco. He had traded or fired players and staff members Luka liked, with Doncic having reportedly said “They get rid of everybody I like”. Luka was seen cracking jokes with former Texas A&M guard Dexter Dennis and shortly after that Dennis was released. Boban Marjanovic was a beloved player who was one of Doncic’s closest friends. He was traded for Christian Wood who is no longer on an NBA roster as of Feb. 12, 2025. Nico Harrison fired coaches one by one that Luka meshed with. Nico tried to crack un-funny jokes that no one laughed at in a press conference following the trade, then left head coach Jason Kidd to deal with most of the media’s questions. It is customary for a GM to sit with his new players at an introductory press conference, but Nico decided to have Mark Followill, a beloved Mavs sportscaster, introduce the new guys. Nico and the Mavericks front office reported that they were concerned with Nico’s safety and had ESPN and their reporters paint Mavericks fans as racist and violent to the national media. When reporter Grant Afseth went to the Dallas Police Department to confirm the accuracy of death threats towards Nico, DPD said “There are no known threats at this time.” ESPN and specifically reporter Tim MacMahon took criticism from Mavs fans especially after MacMahon labeled Afseth as a “wannabe reporter” on a podcast. Nico has largely tried to hide from the public eye, but last night at an SMU basketball game was met with chants of “Fire Nico” throughout the game. After the trade, the Mavericks engaged in a smear campaign against Doncic saying that he “lacked self-discipline”, that he is “fat, lazy, and out of shape”, and implying that Luka lacked the dedication that other great players have had. Perhaps one of the most egregious parts of this ordeal has been the behavior and comments of team governor Patrick Dumont. He is the son in law of Adelson, and gave some thoughts on the trade. "If you look at the greats in the league, the people you and I grew up with, Jordan, Bird, Kobe, Shaq, they worked really hard, every day, with a singular focus to win. And if you don’t have that, it doesn’t work. And if you don’t have that, you shouldn’t be part of the Dallas Mavericks." He also said that “if you want to come here and take a vacation, this is not the place for you”. Dumont cited "character" and "culture" as reasons for the trade. What baffles many fans is that he did not reference Dirk, the greatest Maverick to ever play. He DID however cite Shaquille O’Neal who is an all-time great, but a player that Kobe Bryant characterized as ‘lazy’. Cuban meanwhile has been shouting obscenities at fans who chant “Fire Nico” during games. The whole ordeal might be the biggest PR fail ever seen in sports. The Mavericks front office continues to make the fan reaction worse with the unwarranted shots at Luka after he is already gone. That coupled with the “authoritarian approach” of the front office as ESPN’s MacMahon said, are only adding fuel to the hatred the city of Dallas has towards the organization. The Dallas Police Department stated that they have “not been made aware of any threats, incidents, or arrests related to the Mavericks protest.” An interesting reaction however has been of the Mavs players. Many were very upset or sad that Luka was traded. Kyrie Irving did not speak out to the media until multiple days after the trade. “I miss him, he was my hermano” Irving says. The players empathize and understand the fans reaction however, and are unbothered by it day to day. The players understand the fan reaction. The front office are the ones who appear unable to cope with the current emotional state of the fanbase.

Patrick Dumont (left), Nico Harrison (right) PC: Dallas Morning News

Meanwhile in California, Luka has taken the high road. He has expressed appreciation for the Dallas fans, and his former teammates, but said very little about the front office other than “they made a decision. I don’t know why” also saying that he “knew this would happen” referring to the comments from the team about work ethic and being overweight. When asked if he or anyone in his circle gave any indication that he would not sign the supermax contact this summer, Doncic responded “absolutely not” and reiterated his desire to have been loyal and spent his entire career in Dallas. in his debut against the Utah Jazz, Luka had 14pts, 4 assists, and 5 rebounds. He looked happy again for the first time since the trade. Doncic threw a two lobs for Jaxon Hayes, had a Dirk-like fadeaway, had a full-court pass to LeBron James, and had a step back 3-pointer over Utah’s Walker Kessler, who is widely regarded as a top 3 defender in the NBA. Dirk himself was in attendance to support Luka, he was not in attendance for the debut of Anthony Davis, take that as you will. After talking to Mavs fans after the game, it was agreed that watching Luka that game was stress free and fun. They reiterated that Doncic is missed in Dallas but that they will be rooting for him whenever he goes. Having two elite scoring threats in LeBron James (all-time scoring record holder) and Austin Reaves (averaging 27.4 in the month of February) will be helpful to Luka, and also seeing guys like Gabe Vincent and Jaxon Hayes step up when needed was no doubt encouraging as well.

Doncic and Dorian Finney-Smith reunite in LA. PC: LA Times

If you aren’t a dedicated fan of basketball, the NBA, Dallas, or Luka, you probably don’t understand where this is all coming from, and that’s ok. I had people tell me to “grow up and move on” and that “it’s just sports”. There is an element of truth to that, our lives do encompass much more than just sports and people are far more important. I would agree with those people and say that this IS about a person. It’s about a kid who grew into a man, capturing the fandom and the hearts of the over 8 million people in the DFW area, over 2 million in Slovenia, and millions more worldwide. He was loyal, and he made a very real impact on the community of Dallas through his giving of his time and money to others. He brought people together who have very real friendships or marriages because of being a Mavs fan. He provided many memories that myself and others will remember fondly forever, for me many of those include my dad, brother, and closest friends. He was supposed to be here forever, and we were supposed to see his ceremony like Dirk had. Doncic Pkwy should have intersected with Nowitzki Ave. It was supposed to be 77.21.1. All of these things and much more are very real and tangible. They are included in the legacy that No.77 leaves behind in Dallas, and not one that any team executive can take away. Luka Doncic left behind a lasting impression on Dallas. Luka Doncic was Dallas.

Thank you for everything 77.