Luka Doncic sends 4-word message to Don Nelson after legendary Mavs HC rips franchise for trading him

LA Lakers star Luka Doncic sent a message to former Dallas Mavericks coach Don Nelson after he had ripped into the franchise for trading him. The legendary figure criticized the Mavs after receiving the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award during the NBA Finals, showing his support for the Slovenian star. Doncic was traded by the Mavericks for Anthony Davis in a shock move in February.

Nelson showed his support for Doncic during his facilitation, as he rocked a pair of Luka 4s, deeming the trade a “mistake.” He also expressed his frustration towards the Mavericks during the press conference.

“Luka, too, my dear friend, in fact, I want everybody to know I am wearing Luka’s shoes, his new shoes from Nike. Just got on the market. I’m wearing them in protest for the trade from Dallas. I think it was a tremendous mistake by the Dallas franchise to trade him,” Nelson expressed.

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Following Nelson's Lifetime Award recognition, Doncic sent the legendary coach a message on Instagram while taking a subtle jab at his shoes.

"Congratulations, coach! Nice shoes!," he wrote.

Nelson was awarded the Chuck Daly Award for his contributions to the league as a coach. After his playing career, winning five NBA titles, the Michigan native joined the Milwaukee Bucks in 1976 and spent 12 years with them.

Following his tenure with the Bucks, Nelson coached the Warriors and the Knicks between 1988-1996 before joining the Dallas Mavericks in 1997. He spent eight years with the Mavs before re-joining the Warriors in 2006, retiring in 2010. The former Laker was voted NBA coach of the year thrice and was named in the Top 10 coaches in NBA history.

Luka Doncic reflects on his upbringing in European basketball and the importance of having tough coaches

On the Mind the Game podcast, Luka Doncic reflected on his upbringing in European basketball, with hosts Steve Nash and LeBron James. He expressed the importance of having tough coaches while sharing a story from his time in Europe.

"I think one example is we were up, it was quarter finals or round of 16, we were up 30 at halftime, and I was bull s*itting a little bit. He yelled at me, he made me cry. This coach changed how I view basketball. ... I think everybody needs it to be like a really good player, you need that guy that'll tell you everything," Doncic said.

Luka Doncic spent three years playing in Spain with Real Madrid before making moving to the NBA in 2018.

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About the author

Arian Kashyap

Arian Kashyap is a basketball journalist at Sportskeeda with over two years of experience at Essentially Sports and Spice Bite and a Bachelor's in Physical Education and Sports Sciences.

Arian's favorite team is the Miami Heat and it’s mainly down to Dwyane Wade being his favorite player of all time. Arian loved how explosive Wade was as a player and he had all the attributes, whether that be shooting, defending or passing. Arian really liked how he won titles both with and without a dynasty behind him.

Arian has also worked with Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools and was the manager for a Delhi-based women’s team called Garwhal Untied. Garwhal won the Delhi league and were runners-up during his tenure.

Arian has judged essay writing competitions for the Commonwealth Students Welfare Group of India in 2023 and was a part of the U-14 team for the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools academy that qualified for the AIFF Round in 2023.

When not working or watching sports, Arian likes riding his motorcycle and reading.

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