𝗗𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗦 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗧 "𝗙𝗨𝗖𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨!" 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗟 𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛𝗦 𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗙𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗜𝗥 𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗛𝗜𝗟𝗘 𝗣𝗨𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗢 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗘𝗫𝗔𝗦

                    

Elgin Baylor

Old as shit, I first listened to basketball on a crystal set I'd bought at the 88 Cents Store in Renton, one that had to be grounded by attaching a clip to the kitchen faucet.  

All I remember is the announcer saying "Baylor scores!" every couple minutes, as, back then, eventual NBA Hall-of-Famer Elgin Baylor played for Seattle University.  Believe me, I had no idea if Baylor was black or white.

Forty years later, during my last years on the job in Fort Worth, Texas, I'd tune in to squeaky-voiced radio commentator Norm Hitzges on my way to work.  Hitzges, in his excitable manner, was then raving about an 18 year old German kid who'd just played in the 1997 "Hoop Heroes Tour" against NBA stars Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen, scoring 52 points. 

                                          

The German youngster, Dirk Nowitzki, had not attended college and was not sure he wanted to come to America as his only basketball experience had been with a second-tier outfit in Wurzburg.

Don Nelson, Sr., then the General Manager and Coach of the Dallas Mavericks, flew to Germany to drink beer with Dirk's dad and convince the young man to try his hand at the NBA.

In due time, I watched every single game of Dirk's 22 year legendary NBA career.  

Fast forward to 2018, at the end of Dirk's career.  Don (Donnie) Nelson, Jr. is now the Mavericks GM.  Donnie, who'd coached the Lithuanian team in the Olympics, was raving about a Slovenian teenager he'd observed in Europe, Luka Doncic.  

Doncic, at the tender age of 16, left home and joined Real Madrid, a powerhouse in the European League.  At age 17, Doncic was MVP of the league and at age 18 he was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks.  

Luka Doncic killed it in Dallas and, during each of the five years after his rookie year, and was named to the All-NBA team.  It seemed that Luka, like Dirk before him, would have a long, distinguished career with the Mavericks and, like Dirk, a statue outside American Airlines Center.

Then, in December 2023, Mark Cuban sold the team for $3.5B to one of Trump's largest contributors, billionairess Miriam Adelson.(Trump rewarded Adelson with the "Medal of Honor" for contributing $108M to his campaign.)  Adelson placed the Dallas Mavericks in the hands of her doofus son-in-law, Pat Dumont.  Nico Harrison, a Nike shoe salesman, stayed on as General Manager. 

                                          

The Adelson family, admittedly, knew nothing about basketball.  Their plan was to buy an NBA team, build a new arena/casino complex in Dallas and bring gambling to the state of Texas.  (If you're viewing internet ads from Destination Resorts, promising to "keep the money in Texas" and "fund our schools," that's from the Adelsons.)

Anyway, Luka's five years being All-NBA and other criteria, qualified him for a 5 year, $345M contract, what's commonly called the "SuperMax," designed for the NBA's superstars.  

As many of you know, Adelson, Nico Harris and Pat Dumont decided they did not want to pay Doncic the "Supermax," regardless of his performance.  Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers February 1, in the middle of the night, without any "Heads up!"

Now, after that long-winded introduction, let's get to the crux of the story.  

                                            

Luka Doncic, the "wonderboy" from Slovenia, did not want to leave Dallas.  April 9th, before his new team, the Lakers, played the Mavericks, Luka was openly weeping.  (The photo I'm using above has his tears covered with a towel.)

The game's atmosphere was beyond electric, as Dallas fans, mostly attired in Lakers or Mavericks 77 jerseys, shouted "Luka, Luka, Luka" and "Fire Nico," words aimed at the general manager responsible for trading Doncic. 

Despite his pre-game emotions, Luka locked in to basketball, scoring 31 points before the half, 45 points in all. (Add another 39 points with Luka's effort against Houston Friday.)

The Dallas Mavericks fans?  They are not happy, with many canceling season tickets and few buying merch.  Estimates project this NBA team losing tens of millions in revenue for the next several years.

This country is quickly falling under the control of billionaire oligarchs who Trump promises will be made even richer at the expense of the middle class.  Dallas Mavericks fans, however, have shouted a giant "Fuck You!" to these greedy, evil bastards who shipped their beloved Luka out of town.