Southwest Airlines trolled the Dallas Mavericks over the team’s shocking decision to move on from superstar Luka Doncic.
Doncic was the centerpiece of the blockbuster trade that sent the five-time All-Star to the Los Angeles Lakers early last month, much to the dismay of the majority of the franchise’s fan base. The Mavs received Anthony Davis, Max Chirstie and a draft pick in exchange for Doncic and a package of other players.
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Luka Doncic (Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)
“It’s not like we traded Luka…,” the airline said in an Instagram post on Thursday. The remaining photos in the post touched on the airline’s recently announced changes to its bag policy.
For more than a half-century, Southwest has allowed customers to check their luggage for free, but the airline has faced backlash after revealing it would begin applying a bag fee on May 28.
CUBAN: MAVS SHOULD HAVE NEGOTIATED ‘A BETTER DEAL’ FOR LUKA DONCIC
The Dallas-based carrier has recently announced several policy changes to ramp up revenue growth and meet shareholder profitability expectations, FOX Business reported.
(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The airline has not yet shared details on how much travelers will be charged, although the fee for a third checked bag is listed at $150 on Southwest’s website.
Shortly after Donic was traded to the Lakers, fans were seen at a Mavs home game on Feb. 10 with poster-board signs that read, “FIRE NICO.” The sign’s wording referred to Dallas general manager Nico Harrison. Multiple fans were ejected from the game, with a team official citing the NBA’s Code of Conduct.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic poses for photos with general manager Rob Pelinka, left, and head coach JJ Redick. (Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)
“In the first incident, the guest brought in a sign that broke the following rule included in the NBA Code of Conduct: Clothing, garments or signs displaying explicit language, profanity or derogatory characterization towards any person(s),” Mavericks vice president of corporate communications Erin Finegold said in a statement.
Mark Cuban, who sold his majority stake in the franchise in 2023, later invited an ejected fan to sit courtside at a future Mavericks game.
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Doncic reacted to the trade by saying he was initially in a state of disbelief.
“You can imagine how surprised I was,” he said on Feb. 4. “I had to check if it was April 1. I didn’t really believe it.”
He won his first scoring title last season before leading the Mavs to the NBA Finals. In addition to his five appearances in the NBA All-Star game, Doncic is also a five-time All-NBA selection.
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