Luka Doncic returned to Dallas for the first time since being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and as expected, it was an emotional night. Mark Cuban’s son, Jake Cuban, added to the sentiment with a heartfelt message for Doncic.
The day after the Lakers faced off against the Mavericks at the American Airlines Center, Jake posted a photo to his Instagram story capturing a warm embrace between him and Luka after the game.
While the story was not captioned, he expressed his feelings by adding rock band Green Day’s iconic song titled “Good Riddance”. The lyrics on the screen read:
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“It’s something unpredictable. But in the end, it’s right. I hope you had the time of your life.”
Jake has been quite expressive of his feelings regarding Luka Doncic’s departure since the blockbuster trade was finalized. Apart from resharing a few posts – Dallas fans’ reactions – to his story, Jake also posted a wholesome throwback photo, repping Doncic’s #77 Mavs jersey.
“Rockin 77 till I die,” Jake wrote as the caption.
Jake and other Mavericks fans alike got to witness Luka Doncic light up the American Airlines Center once again. Despite playing with a heavy heart, the Slovenian superstar delivered one of his best performances of the season, finishing with 45 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals, in the LA side’s 112-97 win.
Mark Cuban looked distraught during Luka Doncic’s return
At one point in the Los Angeles Lakers-Dallas Mavericks battle, the entire arena erupted with “Fire Nico” chants in unison. Cameras captured the reaction of minority owner Mark Cuban to this, who looked visibly displeased with the scene.
General Manager Nico Harrison has been under scrutiny from Dallas fans ever since the controversial Luka Doncic trade. Although Cuban has often made it clear that he didn’t support this move, he sympathizes with Harrison amid the backlash.
“When you’re in an industry where if you win a championship, half a million people show up in the streets so when you do something they don’t like, just as many people are mad. I feel bad for Nico and his family in particular. I’ve had people yell “sell the team” to me in the past…one of the reasons I sold was because social media gets mean. And it got mean,” Cuban spoke about the fans’ anger towards Harrison via CBS News.
Currently, the Mavericks are set to compete in the 9-10 play-in game, meaning they must win back-to-back games – the Sacramento Kings and then the loser of the 7-8 matchup – to secure a spot in the playoffs. It’s a difficult task for a team already dealing with injury issues.
If they fail to advance, the frustration among fans will increase with hatred towards Nico Harrison and the front office becoming even more intense.
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Edited by Dipayan Moitra
