The two Dallas Mavericks fans at Monday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings were kicked out. Here’s what they say happened.
KELLER, Texas — Some Dallas Mavericks fans are still not over what they call one of the most shocking trades in NBA history.
For Chris Taylor and Garrett Bussey, the heartbreak is still fresh. Their custom-made shirts conveyed their emotions, but their voices took it further.
“I feel like they shattered my identity as a fan,” Taylor said.
The two die-hard Dallas Mavericks fans attended Monday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings, but it wasn’t what happened on the court that made headlines — it was what happened in the crowd.
During the second half, as the Mavs shot free throws, Taylor said he decided to speak up. “We did fire Nico, and it was the first time we had done it all night,” Taylor said, referring to Mavericks GM Nico Harrison.
Shortly after, security escorted them out of the arena. Taylor recorded video of their ejection, claiming they violated no NBA code of conduct rules.
“I have not violated any NBA code of conduct rules tonight,” Taylor said in the video.
He believes things escalated after a confrontation with Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban.
“He started yelling at me, ‘Sit down, sit down!’ looking right at me,” Taylor said.
The Mavericks told WFAA the fans were ejected for violating NBA conduct policies, specifically for wearing “any derogatory characterization towards any person(s).”
WFAA reached out to Mark Cuban for comment on the situation and he said…
”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. He couldn’t hear anything I said. But it was clear what I was saying. 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. The whole thing was less than a single possession. There was no face-to-face interaction with anyone. There were no other fans that I interacted with. Just the guy in the video,” alluding to Taylor.
For Taylor and Bussey, this is about more than just a trade, it’s about their right to voice their opinions.
“We’re not happy with what happened, and we should have a right to voice that,” Taylor said.
