NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal is convinced a team's downward spiral will continue until it makes a necessary sacrifice.
The Dallas Mavericks are currently on a free-fall ever since trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. From a team contending for a playoff berth, Jason Kidd's men are barely hanging on to the 10th seed for the final play-in spot.
Dallas has only won seven of its last 20 games ever since the Doncic trade. Making matters worse, the player the Mavs traded Doncic for, Anthony Davis, has only played one game and has been sidelined since early February due to a left adductor strain.
Kyrie Irving, who tried to carry the Mavericks following the departure of Doncic, also suffered a torn ACL and has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
The Mavericks' injury woes and downward spiral have led to conversations that the team is cursed because of the Doncic deal, with many comparing it to the "Curse of the Bambino"-which saw the Boston Red Sox fail to win the World Series title for more than 80 years after selling Babe Ruth.
O'Neal, for his part, agreed that the Mavericks are cursed.
During a recent episode of "The Big Podcast," co-host Adam Lefkoe mentioned the "Curse of the Bambino" and asked O'Neal if he thinks Dallas is now dealing with the "Curse of Luka."
Shaq responded truthfully, saying, "I was thinking about it, but since you mentioned that, yeah."
The Lakers legend doubled down on his belief that the Mavericks are cursed, as he continued saying, "Yeah, I do."
O'Neal and Lefkoe then proceeded to talk about how the Mavericks can end the curse, with the latter noting that there should be a "sacrifice." When Lefkoe mentioned Dallas general manager Nico Harrison and the team potentially firing him, Shaq agreed once again and emphasized, "Nico has to go."
Are the Dallas Mavericks cursed after trading away Luka Doncic pic.twitter.com/f9LdgIYb1C
— The Big Podcast (@bigpodwithshaq) March 17, 2025
It remains to be seen if the Mavericks' gamble to trade Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis and Max Christie will lead to a championship. But until their fortunes change, the "Curse of Luka" will continue to be a huge topic of conversation among the Dallas faithful and NBA fans.
Related: Fans Assign Blame for Mavericks' Curse as Luka Doncic Thrives With Lakers
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This story was originally published March 17, 2025 at 6:11 AM.