Lakers F Luka Doncic will make his return to Dallas on Wednesday “for the first time since the Dallas Mavericks traded him” to L.A. The Mavericks “decided to flood the arena with shirts on the seats to pay homage to Doncic’s time on the team.” The shirts read, “Thanks for everything” in Slovenian. NBA teams can’t use the name, image or likeness of players not on the roster, meaning the Mavs “couldn’t use Doncic in any specific way when designing the shirts” (SI, 4/9). Sources said that the Mavs also “plan to play a tribute video” for Doncic. Sources said that the Mavs had “also lined up lucrative sponsorship deals for Wednesday’s game, with multiple companies that Doncic endorses, but those deals fell apart after Doncic’s camp declined to give its blessing, pointedly noting that he now plays for the Lakers” (ESPN.com, 4/9).
Tension has “been high between fans and the Mavs” since the Doncic trade, with fans being removed from the American Airlines Center “on multiple occasions for various critiques of the trade in the arena.” Expect “plenty of ‘Fire Nico’ hats and shirts” at the AAC (FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 4/9).
