A Phoenix Suns courtside fan donning a Devin Booker jersey was compelled to be ejected from the American Airlines Center following intervention by Luka Doncic in a viral video
On Wednesday night, the Dallas Mavericks, led by Doncic, suffered a significant home defeat (132-109) against the Phoenix Suns.
Luka Doncic gets Phoenix Suns fan ejected for telling him to get on the treadmill, video goes viral
"LUKA YOU TIRED, GET ON THE TREADMILL!"
Luka Doncic reaction to fan incoming.
Luka Doncic has since pointed out the fan, who is being talked to by arena staff.
Kyrie Irving walked over and was looking at the fan, who just left.#Suns 100 #Mavs 78 after 3. pic.twitter.com/6npgrJhj6J
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 25, 2024
Despite Doncic’s impressive individual performance with nearly achieving a triple-double (34 PTS, 9 AST, and 8 REB), his team faced a collapse on their home court, and Doncic found himself subjected to taunts from a Phoenix fan in the American Airlines Center.
Luka Doncic asked security to eject this Suns fan, who was sitting two rows behind midcourt press row. The comment the fan made that drew Doncic’s wrath: “Luka, you’re tired! Get your ass on the treadmill!” pic.twitter.com/chNYwiJBC0
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) January 25, 2024
Seated just two rows behind the midcourt press row, the visiting team’s supporter, clad in a Devin Booker jersey, was within earshot of all the players and officials on the court.
When the heckling became intolerable, Doncic took matters into his own hands, engaging with security to eject the fan. According to reports from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the fan directed snarky comments at Doncic, including a remark like, “Luka, you’re tired! Get your ass on the treadmill!”
Enraged by the comment, Doncic signaled security to remove the fan from the premises. The incident was met with cheers from nearby Mavericks fans who likely shared Doncic’s irritation with the heckling.
Although the ejected fan missed a significant portion of the game, his team ultimately emerged victorious, improving their record to 26-18 and securing the fifth seed in the Western Conference. In contrast, the Mavericks find themselves in the eighth position at 24-20.
Doncic Revealed Fan’s Relentless Hackling
Post-game, Doncic addressed the media, revealing that the fan’s relentless heckling persisted throughout the first half. He stated, “He was cursing me the whole first half. I would never eject a fan. They pay for tickets. But I had enough.”
Doncic also engaged in a verbal exchange with MacMahon, who broke the news of the ejection, saying, “You’ll be the first one to always put something bad about me.” For those unfamiliar, Luka Dončić, born on February 28, 1999, is a Slovenian professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA.
Hailing from Ljubljana, Dončić has been recognized as one of the greatest European players of all time. His basketball journey includes shining as a youth player for Union Olimpija before joining Real Madrid’s youth academy.
Dončić’s achievements include leading Madrid to the 2018 EuroLeague title, winning numerous MVP awards, and being a key player for the Slovenian national team, contributing to their first EuroBasket title in 2017.
Luka Dončić and Tim MacMahon go back and forth about him tweeting about Luka asking for a fan to be ejected in the second half, after cursing at him the whole game.
Luka: “You’ll be the first one to always put something bad about me.” pic.twitter.com/eAIRbKyVkn
— Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando) January 25, 2024
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