A bad situation in Dallas was made worse Monday night when Mavericks fans were ejected from their seats at American Airlines Center after calling for the firing of general manager Nico Harrison.
The incident enflamed an already tumultuous situation in the aftermath of the Mavericks’ shocking trade of 25-year-old franchise cornerstone Luka Dončić to the rival Los Angeles Lakers. Fans initially staged a protest on Saturday outside the arena around the team’s first home game since the trade. They called then for Harrison to be fired and for the ownership group led by Patrick Dumont and Miriam Adelson to sell the team.
On Monday, calls to fire Harrison made their way inside the arena and onto the video board during Dallas’ home game against the Sacramento Kings. A fan drew the attention of the video board’s producers during a karaoke segment. But instead of singing along, he appeared to mouth the words “Fire Nico.”
Another video shows what appears to be the same fan and his neighbor holding up signs that distinctly read: “Fire Nico.” They put down their signs when approached by arena staff.
Video shared by Dallas Morning News digital producer RJ Coyle shows security escorting those fans from their seats to a round of raucous boos from the AAC crowd.
Here’s another angle showing security escort the fans to the concourse.
ESPN’s Tim McMahon confirmed that the fans escorted out were the ones holding the “Fire Nico” signs.
McMahon also reports that Dumont was greeted with a round of boos from the arena when he took his courtside seat.
It wasn’t initially clear if the fans were escorted out for something other than holding the signs or calling for Harrison’s dismissal. The Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson reports that security appeared to be targeting fans who did so and that “a number of people” had been escorted out of the building.
From our vantage point it certainly looks like security is going after Mavericks fans who chant or hold up signs saying “Fire Nico.” A number of people have been escorted out of the building. https://t.co/vUXLKuBGfy
— Jason Anderson (@JandersonSacBee) February 11, 2025
Making matters worse, this all happened roughly an hour before Dončić made his Lakers debut in Los Angeles alongside LeBron James.
The Mavericks hadn’t addressed the incident by the time of the end of the game, which Sacramento won in overtime, 129-128. Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd did not address the media after the game, either.
But whatever the explanation is, if there is one, stifling protest is only going to further alienate an already outraged fan base in Dallas.
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