Mark Cuban was in attendance to watch Luka Doncic take on the Dallas Mavericks for the first time since his bombshell trade to the Los Angeles Lakers. Cuban could be seen during the game jokingly booing his former star player, with even Doncic responding by telling him to shut up in jest. But after the game, the billionaire expressed dissatisfaction with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne over rooting against Doncic.
“Former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who sat courtside in a pair of Luka 1 shoes to Tuesday’s game, took in the absurdity of the moment. Each time Dončić touched the ball, Cuban made a show of booing him. At one point, Doncic turned to Cuban, smiled and said, ‘Shut up, Mark.’ But when asked by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon what it was like to root against Doncic, Cuban said, ‘I hated it.'”
During the game, fans got a glimpse of Cuban’s emotions, as he couldn’t do anything but let on a helpless smile after Doncic made a massive three from deep to help the Lakers extend their lead in the first half.
The look on Mark Cuban after this 3 by Luka 👀 🍿 pic.twitter.com/5a7SBIbolZ
— Famouslos32 (@famouslos32) February 26, 2025
Cuban has made it no secret that he wasn’t in favor of trading Luka Doncic away from the Mavericks. The former Mavs majority owner, also of Shark Tank fame, tried to put a stop to the deal when he got wind of it, but it was too late. Cuban had a curt but hopeful reaction in the immediate aftermath of the deal being formalized between the Lakers and the Mavericks.
The eccentric business mogul sold his majority ownership stake to the Adelson family recently, but still retained a minority stake, and supposedly, some say in basketball matters. However, this deal being carried out right under Cuban’s nose by Mavericks GM Nico Harrison seems to suggest he may not have as much power over the Mavericks as he thought.
Despite being an official spokesperson for the Mavericks, Cuban has made no bones about his disdain for the deal. He compared trading Luka Doncic away from the Mavericks to trade for Windows 11 in exchange for Windows 10.
One can imagine that if Cuban had any power over the Mavericks’ basketball operations, this deal would not have taken place. In fact, Cuban once said that if he had to choose between trading Luka or getting a divorce, he would pick the latter.
Doncic didn’t really have a great game on the scoring front, putting up 19 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists, three steals, and two blocks while shooting 35.3% from the field, 14.3% from beyond the arc, and 75.0% from the free-throw line. Regardless of Doncic’s struggles scoring the ball, the visual of him in a Lakers jersey playing against the team he went to the NBA Finals less than a year ago with will hurt Mavs fans.
Hopefully, this deal works out well for both sides in the years to come. But as a Mavericks fan, it is hard to be optimistic about the situation right now.
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