Colin Cowherd has returned from vacation, but it seems he didn’t have enough time to verify a rumor about Luka Dončić before going on air. Last week, the satirical social media account NBA Centel shared a post claiming, “Breaking: The Mavericks organization has announced they will ban fans from wearing Luka Doncic jerseys as a way to move forward from him.” This post received over 22 million impressions.
BREAKING: The Mavericks organization has announced they will ban fans from wearing Luka Doncic jerseys as a way to move forward from him.
(Via @ChrisBHayne) pic.twitter.com/WhRlNDL9fn
— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) February 21, 2025
In light of the backlash following Dallas’s trade of Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers—which centered around Anthony Davis—many took the satirical post at face value, Cowherd included. “Tomorrow, Lakers play Dallas. I saw a story where they won’t let Luka jerseys in the building in Dallas,” Cowherd stated during a segment with Rachel Nichols.
“Tomorrow, Lakers play Dallas. I saw a story where they won’t let Luka jerseys in the building in Dallas.” – Colin Cowherd pic.twitter.com/zGWWAlD6Z0
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 24, 2025
It’s unclear whether Cowherd saw this from NBA Centel, another aggregator, or heard it from someone casually. However, it’s important to note that the Mavericks never made such an announcement—it’s simply not true. Unfortunately, Cowherd joins a lengthy list of sports media figures who have been misled by satire accounts like NBA Centel or Ballsack Sports.
Cowherd has had his share of on-air mistakes throughout his career, but you’d expect him to question the notion of the Mavericks banning Luka jerseys. How would they handle an eight-year-old wearing a Dončić jersey received as a holiday gift?
You could see Nichols’ expression change as Cowherd shared the false report, although she refrained from correcting him. At least his team didn’t dedicate an entire segment to the unfounded claim. Nonetheless, being tricked by a satirical social media account is not a good look.
