Mark Cuban Didn’t Enjoy Watching Luka Doncic Play Against Mavericks: ‘I Hated It’

Former Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban didn’t enjoy watching NBA star Luka Doncic play against the Mavs in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform. 

Cuban sat courtside during the Mavericks-Lakers game on Tuesday (2/25). 

“I hated it,” Cuban told ESPN. 

Doncic finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists against the Mavericks, helping the Lakers win their third game in a row. Los Angeles is in fourth place in the Western Conference standings, while Dallas is in ninth place. 

“I’m glad this game is over,” Doncic said. “There was a lot of emotions. But we go little by little and every day is better. … I’m just glad it’s over honestly. It was just so weird, the moments. Felt like I didn’t know what I was doing.”

Doncic appeared in 422 games with the Mavericks. He averaged 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists and made five All-Star teams and five All-NBA teams.

According to NBA reporter Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Doncic has alternated between shock, sadness and anger since the Mavericks traded him to the Lakers. 

“Those close to him say he has alternated between shock, sadness and anger in the weeks since the trade,” Shelburne wrote. “Every day that he goes home to the Los Angeles hotel he’s living in with his fiancée and young daughter is a reminder of how much his life has been upended.”

The Lakers can offer Doncic a four-year, $229 million extension this summer, or, like other teams, a five-year, $296 million contract in the summer of 2026. 

The Mavericks were not happy with Doncic’s weight and conditioning. Doncic was eligible to sign a five-year, $345 million extension with Dallas this summer, but the franchise was never going to offer him the supermax extension. 

“Each time Dončić touched the ball, Cuban made a show of booing him,” Shelburne wrote. “At one point, Dončić turned to Cuban, smiled and said, ‘Shut up, Mark.'”

Doncic is averaging 19.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists with the Lakers. He and LeBron James are 3-2 together.