Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban invites fan ejected for 'Fire Nico' protest back to sit courtside
A Dallas Mavericks fan ejected from a game this week after protesting against general manager Nico Harrison for the Luka Doncic trade was invited back to sit courtside courtesy of minority owner Mark Cuban.
Garrett Bussey and his friend Chris Taylor, die-hard Mavericks fans, were among the few fans that were ejected from Monday night's game against the Sacramento Kings after they shouted "Fire Nico," a message they also had printed on their shirts.
The pair told WFAA during an interview this week that the incident took place during the second half of the game while the Mavericks shot free throws.
"We did 'Fire Nico' [chant], and it was the first time we had done it all night," Taylor told the station. They were quickly met by security and escorted out of American Airlines Center for allegedly violating the NBA code of conduct rules.
Taylor also told the station that Cuban "started yelling" at him before he was escorted out, further escalating the situation.
In a statement to WFAA, Cuban explained his side of things.
"Fans were booing during crunch time while we had the ball and while we were shooting FTs (free throws). I wanted to see why. So, I looked where they were looking. When the guy (it was just one) saw me, he started screaming at me. I had no idea what he said, he was a good 25 rows away, but he was obviously mad."
Cuban added to his statement, saying that the shouting from the fan happened the "whole game."
"I didn't care what he was saying. He was saying it the whole game. I cared that fans were booing him while we had the ball in crunch time or were shooting FTs. The time when they should be silent, or cheering for the Mavs, that was it."
Bussey told WMAQ that he spoke with Cuban after the game and was invited back to sit courtside with his 7-year-old son for Wednesday's game.
Bussey called it a "step in the right direction" for a fan base that was left reeling after the team's star player was traded away.
Doncic led the NBA in scoring last season and helped the Mavericks reach an NBA Finals appearance, but he was dealt away to the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the most controversial trades in recent memory.
Fans have since expressed their disdain for Harrison, the mastermind behind the trade, prompting the organization to reportedly increase his security before last weekend's games.
At least one other fan was ejected from Monday's game for a similar protest.
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