Luka Doncic does what players never do: Apologize to heckler

During an appearance on TNT’s NBA Tip-Off, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic apologized for getting a heckler thrown out of Wednesday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns.

“I was really frustrated, you know, because we were losing,” Doncic told Kevin Harlan when asked about the incident. “I twisted my ankle in the first half. It was just a lot of emotion. Probably shouldn’t have done that. When I’m wrong, I admit it. I probably shouldn’t have done that.”

Doncic had the fan thrown out for, in the Dallas guard’s words, heckling him “the whole night.” The final straw came early in the second half, and Doncic had him removed by stadium staff. Those who reported from the game claim the Suns fan was screaming, “Luka, you’re tired! Get your ass on the treadmill!”

Doncic also had a tense exchange with ESPN’s Tim McMahon in his postgame press conference after McMahon posted about the fan’s removal online.

“I’m not going to say what he said, but I knew you were going to be the first one to put out something like that,” Luka said to McMahon when prompted about the ejection afterward.

Doncic finished the 132-109 loss to Phoenix with 34 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists. He scored just 10 points on 3-for-9 shooting in the second half, with a -23 plus/minus. The Mavericks dropped their third straight game, losing four of their last five.