Sueing For The Right to Cheer! Luka Doncic’s Supporter Takes on the Mavericks and the NBA in a Bitter Lawsuit

A lifelong Dallas Mavericks fan is considering pressing charges for his ejection from a game after a heated interaction with minority owner Mark Cuban. Chris Taylor and his friend Garrett Bussey were tossed from the Mavericks’ Monday night game against the Sacramento Kings. The two superfans were protesting the Mavericks’ blockbuster of superstar Luka Doncic.

The viral exchange is captured here. According to the organization, Bussey and Taylor were removed for violating the NBA Fan Code of Conduct. Taylor, a season ticket holder, has denied any wrongdoing.

In an interview with TMZ, Taylor first noted how the Mavs’ organization is “using a heavy hand to try to squash the fans right now. Cuban’s basically just lying and talkin’ s*** on fans again. It’s crazy.”

Taylor then went on to describe the interaction he had with arena security and whether he’s considering legal action.

“The first thing that the security said is, ‘Do you want to walk out or get dragged out?’ I’m going to think about it some more, but [legal action] is not off the table.”

The Mavericks’ trade of their superstar is already not aging well

In a statement to WFAA, Cuban explained his side of the interaction.

“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.

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.”

Garrett Bussey noted that Cuban reached out and offered him and his 7-year-old son to sit courtside for the Mavericks’ next game that week on Wednesday. While Cuban is making an effort in that case, his statement on these two fans’ ejection is still a bit befuddling on how they actually crossed a line to warrant their ejection. Generally, it’s tough for spectators to successfully sue for being tossed from an event, but perhaps Taylor has a case here.

Whether Taylor’s ejection carries some kind of ban seems to be irrelevant, as the lifelong Mavericks fan isn’t planning on attending any games in the near future. But this whole incident reflects how this deal has put the relationship between the fanbase and the organization on thin ice. And Anthony Davis’ injury in his first game with his new team is not making this trade look any better.

Dallas sped up its championship timeline when it traded its 25-year-old superstar. The franchise needs to win now. At 30-26, the Mavericks are currently eight in the Western Conference. There’s still plenty of time for this team to rise up the standings. But Kyrie Irving and company will need to start racking up the wins and that will be harder to do with Davis sidelined for a while.