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Michael Rothstein
Dallas – Two and a half hours before Tipoff stood a small crowd on high readiness outside the American Airlines Center, looking for any sign that the man had arrived. “Luka is here!” One fan screamed while heading towards Dirk Nowitzki Way as the vehicle approached. “Luka is here!”
True or not, it seemed that growing madness didn’t matter. Several fans suddenly broke into the sprint and speculated that adapted black apocalypse Hellfire Jeep could – just – be the only one.
The Los Angeles Lakers He came to the city on Wednesday for the first time since the stunning trade on 1 February who sent Doncic away. Shock Dallas Mavericks“The adored franchise player continued to reflect all night, when Dončić, who gained 45 points, led Lakers to win 112-97 over his former team.
Before the match, the rizzy n’kele stood on the side of the street in the Nowitzki jersey and depicted a white poster addressed to Dončić, who said, “Thanks for the memories.” Three big photos of Dončić were on the poster on two plastic folding tables. The fans stopped to climb the news, and N’Kele said that contact would help him get the poster to Dončić.
“For the rest of his career, it will still be a home game for him,” N’Kele said. “Because I feel we’ll be cheering for him if we should cheer for Mavs.”
N’Kele has stored two rules: don’t judge a photo of Dončić and no “Fire Nico” messages. He said he wanted the poster to remain a positive gift of the city, despite the ongoing anger focused on Mavs, CEO Nico Harrison, architect of Dončić’s shop.
Twenty minutes later there was no space on the poster. N’Kele overwhelmed it, put aside his folding tables and went in.
On Tuesday evening, street artists Juan Velazquez and Armando Aguirre spent three hours in the next part of Dallas by completing the wall painting, which, Velazquez said, encapsulated their feelings about Harrison’s Brandling explanation and continuing Firestorm against MAVS.
The topic they chose was brief: “Fire Nico.” Velazquez remembered that he was inspired by a photo of Tiktok published shortly after the Dončić store was announced. This was Chris Taylor, Mavericks Superfan, who used adhesive tape to cover the MAVS logo on the hat and replaced it with a news against Harrison, which quickly became a crying over Dallas.
Velazquez won $ 1,000 for materials and work, using 40 different types of yellow, blue and gray spray colors to re -create Taylor’s hat against the yellow background.
“It’s an iconic piece,” Taylor said, staring at the mural. “And I think it will be, I think it will be accepted this way. I think it gets a lot of love and a lot of attention.”
Taylor and his friend, Garrett Bussey, helped to launch the enthusiasm against Harrison by throwing away from the February game after arguing about the trade with Mavericks Limited partner Mark Cuban.
Although he served as a cheerleader for singing “Fire Nico” in Mavs Games in the last two months – including once to Harrison’s face, Taylor said he wanted to avoid any such spectacle on Wednesday evening. He and Bussey instead considered Dončić’s return to be a celebration.
But if the others began to sing, Taylor said, happily joined.
Four seconds into the game, “Fire Nico”, rebelled through the American Airlines Center and became significantly louder during the game.
The fans came out decorated In various versions of Dončić’s jersey. There were Lakers ‘and Mavericks’ No. 77s, but also his Slovenian national team jersey and even some Real Madrid equipment – a homage to Dončić’s formative flights playing basketball in Europe.
Fans traveled from London, South Korea and Thailand for his return home.
“It’s a superstar,” said Robert Mohoric, one of the six Slovenian fans who said they spent 10,000 euros together, or about $ 11,000 to fly to Dallas for returning home. “He’s a world superstar. Everyone knows him.”
Two painted Slovenian flags on their faces and exhibited a large flag from their country.
Brian Goldsmith – who holds the world’s Guinness record for the fastest marathon time in full football equipment – he said he wanted to do something to appreciate Dončić’s return. Around the American Airlines Center ran 77 rounds wearing a replica of Dončić’s uniforms, including a pair of Luka 2 sneakers, which he bought in a discount shop. Goldsmith ran nearly 25 miles, although he said Luka 2s began to hurt legs in the middle.
Two fans from Pennsylvania ran with him eight rounds, as well as employees of Chop Sports Victory Park, home base of his run.
Chop Sports is home to 7.77 $ long live Luka Shot, now a permanent part of the offer. The restaurant offered a special menu based in Luce, including four drinks with the theme of Luka and three food prices, which were $ 7.77, with 77% of the proceeds going to Dončić’s Foundation. On Wednesday, Bar sold 131 shots and increased $ 2,000.
“Whether you are a Laker fan or a Mavericks fan, you love a bow,” Goldsmith said. “The foundation helps everyone, so I thought I’d run. That was a mission to bring some positivity to this area.”
In addition to positivity, the big questions of the evening were: should protests allow? How would the crowd react?
Inside the American Airlines Center, each seat carried a white t-shirt “Hvalot for everything”-“Thank you for everything” in Dončić’s native language.
Nervous energy seemed to pass in the arena. One by one was introduced by the guest players, but Dončić was saved to the last. This was followed by a 2½ -minute tribute, encapsulating a Slovenian star, followed by a deafening, permanent health. Dončić collapsed in tears.
“Even if I couldn’t see Luka would become emotional, I would be emotional,” Henry Neely, a seasonal ticket holder, said. “Absolutely. When I saw tears throwing, it was great and emotional at the same time.”
At different moments during the game, fans sang “MVP” when Dončić was on the free throw line. When he left 1:37, he received a permanent ovation. After N’Kele, Espn said that Dončić saw a banner with the news of the fans after N’Kele asked the Lakers Security to give him.
At a height Of Anti-Harrison Fervor in February, Jake Reeda created a blue T-shirt with the face of the CEO decorated with a red clown nose. 13th February shattered it into the arena and then distributed accessories to others.
He wasn’t sure if he would be fired or not. It wasn’t and raised another idea to sell shirts and fill the arena on Wednesday with the same pictures, driving home, where the fan despised Harrison.
On Wednesday, Reeda released a shirt on the display in front of the arena, but the police asked him to move. After sold about 500 shirts since February, Reeda said he was planning to donate part of the Dončić Foundation’s return.
Floodbed Truck rode with a big sign that read: “Fire Nico sells a team.” Other crowds followed.
Walker Duke, in February launched to protest against Harrison, appeared on Wednesday evening on himself a shirt that depicted him and his friend holding the sign “Fire Nico”. Before entering the arena, he put another shirt on him.
Did the protests change?
“I did everything I could do as an occasional fan,” Reedy said. “I did a message. I donated to a good cause and they changed their policy … At the end of the day our voices were heard.”
The fans said they hoped to return home some closure for a still coercive city. Even Dončić said “it is a difficult question” whether he was getting closure on Wednesday.
N’Kele said he remains a MAVS fan despite a heart break. “I’ll say it: Jerry Jones never hurt me the way Nico did it. He says a lot.”
Luis Ellis, a former seasonal ticket holder, described it as a moment of catharsis, the time “let the bow feel love” and let him know that the city was not, which you know, betrayed you. It was a leading office. ”
Mavericks made anchore, but in the post-dončić Hope era retreated ambivalence. Some seasonal ticket holders continue to consider whether they are renewed.
Two months ago, Taylor said, thinking about keeping his seats, but recently decided to give up.
“It is possible that I would go into the game against Toronto on Friday,” Taylor said. “But in fact, there is a good chance that I will never be in Mavs again.”
