WATCH: Mavericks fan gets ejected for ‘Fire Nico’ jumbotron protest as Dallas collapses in overtime to the Kings

Drew Smith
February 11, 2025
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You know things are getting bad between ownership and Dallas Mavericks’ fans when security starts booting people from the arena for speaking the truth.

During Monday night’s 129-128 overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings, a Dallas Mavericks fan got the full arena escort treatment after making his feelings known about general manager Nico Harrison.

Midway through the third quarter, with the Mavericks trailing 74-70, the AAC jumbotron was running a karaoke cam segment to lighten the mood. One fan played along, singing Whitney Houston’s classic I Wanna Dance with Somebody but instead of belting out the lyrics, he decided to send a message to the entire building to Fire Nico.

Dallas Mavericks Fan: FIRE NICO

Mavs fan on the Jumbotron:

“Fire Nico.”

(via @MavsHighlights)

pic.twitter.com/1yMaMeJg2v
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 11, 2025

It didn’t stop there. In the fourth quarter, as Dallas held a 103-94 lead, the same fan and his friend flashed a “Fire Nico” sign for everyone to see. That was apparently too much for the Mavericks’ PR team to handle, as security escorted the fan out of the building.

The crowd wasn’t having it. The second they saw security shutting down the protest, boos rained down across American Airlines Center.

Fans are booing because AAC security took away the fire Nico sign

Update: it was the same guy who said fire Nico in karaoke pic.twitter.com/K5EQQ0bIKS
— Berkan MFFL (@BerkanMFFL) February 11, 2025

The Bigger Picture: A Mess in Dallas

Now, you could say this is just a rowdy fan making some noise, but this incident comes at a time when Mavericks fans are boiling over with frustration at the current state of their basketball team post-Luka Doncic

The Luka Doncic Trade Controversy – There have been alleged death threats made against Harrison over rumors of a potential Doncic trade, forcing the team to increase security.
Another blown lead – The Mavs led by 12 points in the fourth quarter and still lost in OT.
Another injury – As if the night couldn’t get worse, Daniel Gafford got hurt in the game.
February misery – The Mavs are struggling, the fan base is angry, and now fans are getting ejected for calling out the front office.

This is not a good look for Dallas. Fans have every right to be upset—especially when the team implodes in overtime like they did against Sacramento. If anything, the Mavs’ front office should just let fans voice their frustration and not make a big deal of it. Ejecting a fan for a simple “Fire Nico” message only makes things worse because now it becomes a bigger story.

The Mavs might not like the heat, but if they don’t turn things around soon, they’re going to hear a lot more of it and honestly, they deserve every public statement they’ll undoubtedly receive.