NBA analyst calls out Mavericks GM Nico Harrison over latest Luka Doncic comments

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison just cannot get out of his own way. Every time he opens his mouth to answer questions about the Luka Doncic trade, it just makes him look dumber.

The latest example came in his mandatory end-of-season exit interview on Monday afternoon when he claimed he didn't know exactly how important Luka Doncic was to the city of Dallas, saying, "I did know Luka was important to the fan base. I didn’t know quite to this level.”

That quote spread like wildfire throughout NBA circles, with Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, and many other personalities pointing out how absurd of a statement that is considering Doncic has his own day in the city of Dallas (July 6th). The latest to chime in is ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, who had a lot to say on First Take on Tuesday morning.

Feb 16, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Team Stephen A coach Stephen A. Smith on on the red carpet before the All Star Celebrity Game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

"[Harrison] looked bad saying what he said yesterday. You underestimated, you didn't know how much, to what degree fans loved Luka Doncic? You underestimated that? Where the hell you live at? Are you in Waco, Texas, or someplace instead of Dallas? What are you talking about? How could you utter those words out of your mouth? That means that you are in some cocoon somewhere, you don't go outside, you don't go to the games, which clearly is not true because he's always there. I'm saying, how in God's name could you possibly say that?... You can't say what he said, talk about being tone-deaf. Talk about being clueless and completely removed from reality to say you didn't know how much the fans loved Luka Doncic. I almost fainted when I saw him say that because everything else he said, rife with credence and credibility, goes right out the window because you essentially told the fanbase you don't know them and you have paid no attention to them since you arrived in 2021 because there is no human being associated with the Dallas Mavericks on Earth that should be able to say 'I did not know. I did not understand the magnitude in which this city and this fanbase loved Luka Doncic.' He is a global, iconic basketball brand. Nico's got a history in marketing spanning decades before he arrived in Dallas, which means, his M.O., his expertise is marketing. His expertise is getting a feel and having a knowledge and an understanding of what an audience wants, and the very audience you represent, you didn't know that their star player was somebody they loved dearly?"

.@stephenasmith reacts to Mavs GM Nico Harrison's end of season press conference 👀

"You didn't know to what degree the fans loved Luka Doncic? ... Where the hell do you live at?" 😅 pic.twitter.com/idutuvkXWm
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 22, 2025

Stephen A. Smith is an easy man to disagree with, but he's correct here. For Harrison to say he didn't know how much the fanbase loved Luka Doncic should be a fireable offense. But as of now, he's still hanging onto his job, even if Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont is becoming increasingly frustrated around the pressure and scrutiny facing the team.

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