Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić finally responded to Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison’s constant shade in his post-trade comments.
“It’s just sad the way he’s talking right now,” Dončić said of Harrison in an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews that aired Friday, April 18. “I never say anything bad about him, and I just want to move on. The fans, my ex-teammates, I’ll always keep at heart. It’s time for me to move on from there.”
Harrison quadrupled down on his reasoning on trading away Dončić, a generational star who is entering his prime with his oft-repeated mantra “defense wins championships.”
It’s a shade to Dončić, whose offensive brilliance led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season, but his defense and conditioning have always been questioned.
Luka’s ‘Poor Conditioning and Love for Beer and Hookah
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported in the aftermath of the trade that one factor that contributed to the Mavericks’ decision to trade the 25-year-old superstar was his poor conditioning, which led to several injuries in his tenure in Dallas.
“The [Mavericks] had major concerns about moving forward with Luka Dončić due to his constant conditioning issues and the looming commitment of another supermax contract extension this summer, sources told ESPN,” MacMahon wrote on X.
Sam Amick of The Athletic reported more details on the Dončić-Mavericks fallout.
“Make no mistake, the people who witnessed Dončić’s last days in Dallas do not paint a flattering portrait of the 25-year-old’s professionalism. They call him lazy. They talk about the weight issues that were such a frequent frustration within their walls. They mention the social habits that The Athletic has reported on — such as a taste for beer and hookah — which have been a point of concern for NBA types since he was a 19-year-old star for Real Madrid who was entering the NBA Draft. They predict his basketball demise, highlighting a health history that, as some see it, will likely lead to catastrophe in the next five years or so,” Amick wrote.
The attack on his reputation made the trade heartbreaking for Dončić.
“I mean it’s painful, depending on how you take it,” Dončić said. “It mostly came from Dallas, so I didn’t want to talk back. But I don’t really read that much stuff. I’m just trying to focus on my journey.”
Luka’s Dad Slams Mavericks
As Luka practiced restraint in dealing with the character assassination in the aftermath of the most shocking trade in NBA history, his father, Saša Dončić, unloaded on the Mavericks in an interview with Arena Sport Slovenija on Sunday, Feb. 2.
“I understand there comes a moment when you disagree with a certain philosophy,” Saša said. “You don’t like this or that player, all good, I get it. But I think that exactly this secrecy, or should I say from some individuals, maybe even hypocrisy, this hurts me personally.”
The Dončićs felt betrayed.
“Because I think that Luka absolutely doesn’t deserve this,” Saša said. “Given the fact that, at least as far as I know, he sacrificed himself enormously and even all the stories now that someone is releasing that he wants to apologize for the things that they’re doing. I feel like this is very unfair from some individuals because I know that Luka respected Dallas a lot. He respected the whole city, helped children.”
Luka’s father slammed the weight issue.
“It wasn’t even a problem last year since, I am saying again, one individual said he’s not fit enough,” Sasa said. “That he played, I don’t know, 100 games, practically 40 minutes with two or three players constantly on him. That he was beaten and you say such things about him. I feel that this is very unfair from certain individuals. You traded him, stand by your actions but don’t look for excuses or alibis, that’s it.”
