Insanely Embarrassing Story About Mavericks' GM Resurfaces During Aftermath Of Luka Doncic To Lakers Trade
Trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers could end up being the worst decision Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has ever been a part of, but believe it or not, it won't be the most embarrassing business move the 52-year-old executive has pulled off.
Just after midnight on the East Coast on Saturday night, the Mavericks traded Doncic to the Lakers in a three-team deal sending 31-year-old Anthony Davis, a 2029 first-round draft pick, and other pieces to Dallas.
On paper, the trade is mind-numbing. Doncic is a generational player who still happens to be just 25-years-old, but with a super-max deal headed his way, the Mavericks clearly weren't on board with the financial ramifications of that. From a Lakers' point of view, it's obvious this move is preparing the franchise for life without LeBron James whenever the 40-year-old retires.
Davis is a 10-time All-Star, and still one of the top players in the world when healthy, but having been plagued with injuries and Father Time not taking any days off, it's an odd move from Dallas' perspective.
Given that Nico Harrison is the president of basketball operations and the general manager of the Mavericks, he signed off on the trade. As fans were left scratching their heads in the aftermath of the deal, a story about Harrison's time as an executive at Nike, where he spent 19 years working with some of the biggest names in NBA history.
Luka Doncic is teaming up with LeBron James as a Laker. (Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)
One player Harrison most definitely did not work with during his tenure at Nike was Steph Curry, and he played a major role in the company's unfortunate reality.
In 2013, when Curry was 25 years old and had yet to win an NBA title, he sat down with Nike about signing what would have been his second shoe deal with the swoosh brand. Under Armour had offered him a $4 million per year deal plus a signature shoe while Nike offered him $2.5 million.
A $1.5 million gap is a significant one, but it's safe to say money wasn't the only reason Curry ultimately went with Under Armour.
According to Sports Illustrated, Nike completely botched the pitch meeting, and Harrison was at the center of it. One Nike executive reportedly mispronounced Curry's name calling him "Steph-on" instead of "Steph-en." Meanwhile, a repurposed powerpoint with a picture of Kevin Durant, not Curry, was displayed on the screen during the meeting.
In 2022, Harrison finally addressed the rumors that he was the one who mispronounced his name, and during his explanation, he actually dug himself in an even deeper hole.
"There is an article out. And the article says I mispronounced his name. It wasn't me. It absolutely wasn't me. But they didn't know the other person, they knew me. So, they say I mispronounced his name because it's sexy. But I'm like, first of all, I've known this guy forever, like since he was in high school. I used to represent his dad. How am I going to mispronounce his name? I might have called him Seth, but I wasn't going to mispronounce his name. So yeah, Nike made a mistake," Harrison said on the Point Forward podcast in 2022.
So, instead of mispronouncing his name, Harrison called Steph Curry ‘Seth,’ who is Steph Curry's younger brother who spent time in the NBA.
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