By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
In a recent interview with the K&C Masterpiece show on 105.3 The Fan, Dallas Mavericks co-interim general manager Michael Finley finally provided the lighthearted context behind a viral moment involving Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic, where he appeared casually swiping a celebratory beer from the player’s hand during celebrations for a spot in the 2024 NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV.
Finley explained that the intervention had nothing to do with discipline and everything to do with team branding. Initially, Finley had encouraged the celebration: “I see number 77 standing over there having a beer, and I say, ‘Congratulations, young fella, you definitely deserve that beer.’ And he’s like, ‘Thanks, man, thanks.’ I leave him… We’re having a great time. Champagne is being popped.”
However, the mood shifted when the team’s content creators ran into a professional dilemma. Finley recalled finding the social media department “frozen” when trying to capture a milestone moment. “I’m like, ‘What’s going on guys? What’s wrong?’ They said, ‘We wanna take a picture of Luka and his dad.’ I said, ‘Well, take the picture…’ They said, ‘But Luka’s holding a beer.’ I said, ‘Well, go take the beer from him.’ They said, ‘What? We can’t do that.’ I said, ‘OK, I’ll do it.’”
The executive’s explanation also solved the mystery of Doncic’s visibly confused reaction in the clip. “When you watch the video, I go take the beer, I hug Luka again, and that’s why Luka looked like, ‘Man, what are you doing? We just talked about this and you said it was cool,’” said Finley.
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