Before my husband Ben and I started dating, I didn’t watch much professional basketball. I knew the game of basketball because my brother had played for years, and we watched college basketball, but I hadn’t paid much attention to the NBA. Of course, after my relationship with Ben began, I couldn’t help but become a fan of the Dallas Mavericks given Ben was a ball boy for the team in high school and an MFFL (Mavericks Fan For Life). Then, I gave birth to four more MFFLs. We’re around the twenty-five-year mark of my fandom for the Mavs. At about the same time, a baby was born in the country of Slovenia named Luka Dončić who, following in the tradition of Mavs great Dirk Nowitzki, has grown up to be one of the best players in team history and in the NBA at large.

Luka is in his sixth year with the Mavs, so I’ve observed him over his entire career in the NBA. My son Jed knew about him when he was playing in Europe as a teenager before he arrived in the United States. Currently, the Mavericks are in the NBA Finals for the first time in thirteen years, and at this writing, things are not going so well (0-3 sadly). Luka is nursing several injuries but is still playing and scoring, but he is also getting some flak from people for his defense and his griping at the referees. I feel like a lot of the folks making comments about Luka now are not as familiar with him as those of us who watch him day after day. Dallas fans love Luka. In fact, for years, I’ve said that Luka and I are spirit animals. 

Let me explain. Luka is usually a joyful person. He laughs and jokes. He loves the game and his teammates. He could be a diva, but he’s not. If you watch footage of him before games or during practices, he has fun with trick shots from half court, from the bench, bouncing the ball off the floor or even the jumbotron above the court. Don’t get me wrong, he is serious about his craft. He is not frivolous or silly when it comes to putting in the work. But Luka radiates happiness most of the time. I may not always quite rise to the level of joyful, but I try. I aspire to be someone who builds community and pulls others into the conversation. Sometimes my serious nature is what people see, but I try to share happiness and kindness. 

Luka is happy most of the time, that is, until he encounters a situation that he considers unfair. In games, he gets hammered underneath the goal, but a lot of times, the referees don’t call fouls in favor of him. And it makes him mad. And he tells the refs about it. So, do I. If you’ve ever been with me at one of my boys’ basketball games, you know that I struggle throughout the game with keeping my comments to myself and not yelling at the refs. My mama bear comes out and is hard to contain. Critics of Luka’s say he should “just stop” getting upset with the refs, but I can attest that this is a hard thing to do. Luka and I are passionate about the game being called the same on both ends of the court. That fervor bubbles over at times. I get it. We want the best for our people, and that’s why we wear our hearts on our sleeves.

Sometimes, when Luka has been struggling on the court and with the refs, he has a hard time getting back up again. I don’t mean physically, but emotionally. He looks as if he doesn’t have energy. He doesn’t want to say much in the press conference. Luka takes the blame for a loss even if he played well because he is the team’s leader. Eventually, he bounces back and regains his joy, but it may take a bit. I understand that too. At times, I get down – it may be a personal issue or concerns about my kids or the world in general – and I have a tough time getting back on my feet quickly. I’ll find my joy again, but in that downtime, I must remember to stay connected to my family and friends instead of isolating or trying to solve the situation all alone.

No matter what the outcome of this NBA Finals or the criticism that Luka is currently enduring, Luka is my kindred spirit. I’m a fan and always will be.