At long last, Luka Dončić returns to the American Airlines Center. It marks the first time since the mystifying trade that sent him from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers.
How we got to Dončić donning purple and gold is water under the bridge. Nonetheless, the Dallas faithful will never forgive general manager Nico Harrison and owner Patrick Dumont for moving a franchise icon, let alone how it happened. Knowing this, Gatorade released a new commercial that will surely rub salt in the wounds of Mavericks fans everywhere.
Gatorade releases a new Luka Dončić video ahead of his first game in Dallas since being traded by the Mavericks. pic.twitter.com/S0j1dbr351
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) April 9, 2025
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Luka Dončić’s new Gatorade commercial ahead of return to Dallas will upset Mavericks fans everywhere
Dončić gazes into the camera while dribbling a basketball with a Gatorade towel wrapped around his neck that nearly spells out the word "traitor." Eventually, he gets up and walks out of the frame and a message appears in big, white lettering: "No love lost. Only sweat."
In case you couldn't tell, Dončić still feels betrayed by the Mavericks organization and is ostensibly out for revenge. The bad blood between the Slovenian superstar and Dallas front office is real and palpable. This isn't just a gimmicky marketing scheme.
Don't believe me? Dončić's camp reportedly turned down "lucrative sponsorship deals" for the highly anticipated Lakers-Mavs showdown -- with "multiple companies" he endorses. Instead of milking the situation for as much money as possible, he sent a message to the Dallas execs who gave up on him. That's petty king behavior at its finest.
While there's no ill will toward the people who support Dončić and the Mavericks, they're caught in the crossfire of a rough breakup. Regardless of the circumstances, Gatorade stands behind one of its many high-profile endorsed athletes. Albeit a brief clip with no verbal audio, the emotion is raw, perfectly encapsulating the magnitude of the moment.
As a fiery competitor, Dončić is known for wearing his heart on his sleeve. Following a historically dominant seven-year tenure with the Mavericks, Gatorade is toying with Dallas fans' feelings.