Nico Harrison Reacts to 'Fire Nico' Chants, It's 'Awesome but Not in a Positive Way'

Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison gave his thoughts on fans chanting for him to be fired during games following the blockbuster trade involving superstar Luka Dončić.

"When you have 20,000 people in the stadium chanting 'Fire Nico' you really feel it," Harrison told reporters on Monday. "I use the word awesome, but not in a positive way. You can really feel how they feel."

"I did know that Luka was important to the fanbase," he added. "I didn't quite know to what level."

Fans have chanted the message at various home games following the shocking trade with the Los Angeles Lakers and were especially boisterous when Dončić made his return to the American Airlines Center on April 9.

The Mavericks received Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick from the Lakers in exchange for the five-time All-Star.

Dončić was also displeased by the swap, telling ESPN's Malika Andrews that he threw his phone and broke it after he was informed that he was getting traded.

He specifically expressed his gratitude to Mavericks fans in a statement posted on social media following the deal.

"The love and support you all have given me is more than I could have ever dreamed of," Dončić wrote in the statement. "For a young kid from Slovenia coming to the U.S. for the first time, you made North Texas feel like home."

Dončić quickly developed into one of the league's top offensive players after Dallas added him in the 2018 NBA draft.

He ended his Mavericks career with averages of 28.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game while shooting 47.0 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from behind the arc. Dončić sits at No. 6 on the organization's all-time scoring list.

He helped lead the Mavericks to the playoffs in four separate seasons during his tenure with the team, which included a 2024 NBA Finals appearance.

Dallas owned a 26-23 record during its 2024-25 campaign prior to the trade, but it ended the year with a 13-20 finish before falling to the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament.