Hall of Fame coach Don Nelson, recipient of the 2025 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Basketball Coaches Association, used the occasion of the award announcement around Game 2 of the NBA Finals to voice strong disapproval of a major Dallas Mavericks decision. Nelson, known for his innovative coaching style and holding the second all-time record for regular season wins, made his stance clear in a memorable way.

Appearing at a news conference, Nelson chose his footwear strategically, wearing a pair of Luka Doncic's signature Jordan Brand sneakers, specifically the new "Luka 4s." He openly declared this was an act of protest and a show of support for Doncic, whom he referred to as "my dear friend." "As a matter of fact, I want everybody to know I'm wearing Luka's shoes, his new shoes from Nike that just got on the market," Nelson stated. "I'm wearing them in protest for the trade from Dallas."

Nelson elaborated on his discontent, labeling the Mavericks' trade of Doncic as a "tremendous mistake by the Dallas franchise." He underscored his core belief regarding player management, saying, "My philosophy was to always honor the great players, not trade them away." He reiterated this sentiment: "When you've got a great player, he's yours for a lifetime. You don't get rid of great players. When that happened, I was pretty disappointed." According to reports, the trade in question involved Luka Doncic being shipped to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Don Nelson, who coached the Dallas Mavericks from 1997 to 2005 and remains a respected figure among the team's fanbase, is not alone in his criticism. Other prominent figures with connections to the Mavericks, including team legend Dirk Nowitzki, have reportedly found it difficult to support the decision to trade Doncic. This widespread sentiment highlights the perceived magnitude of the move within the Mavericks community.

Amidst the discussions surrounding his trade, Luka Doncic himself recently offered insights into his prolific scoring in the NBA compared to European leagues. He explained, "The reason I said it's easier to score in the NBA is because it's just different rules. You have a lot more spacing, you have more minutes... In Europe if you get a big guy... he's just standing in the paint and he can stand in the paint and he's [7'3"], it's hard to score on that. It's impossible. Here, you can't do that because it's a three-second violation." These comments underscore the environment in which Doncic has excelled, making Nelson's protest over his departure from Dallas even more pointed.