The NBA news cycle is at an all-time high for August as the league just released its regular-season schedule for all 30 NBA teams. Not only should the Dallas Mavericks get off to a hot start, as their opening five games are all at home and against respectable competition, but it may be one of the only chances the Mavs get to get their season on track quickly.
While the schedule release is always a big annual event for basketball fans in the dead of summer, the Mavericks' social media team stepped up its production after releasing a video describing multiple teams across the league with one item. Although it might be taken as a funny joke, Dallas' social media team absolutely roasted the Los Angeles Lakers and their 2020 bubble-winning championship run.
The Mavericks are set to face off against the Lakers first on November 28, as the two franchises will play in the NBA Cup against one another. This is not only a hotly contested matchup, as it is the first time Luka Doncic will play the Mavs in the 2025-26 season, but it's also being set up to be a game with plenty of emotions on both sides after Dallas' social media squad took a shot at the Lakers.
Mavericks roast Lakers' 'Mickey Mouse' bubble championship
There's no doubt that a new rivalry is brewing in the NBA between the Mavericks and Lakers. While the two sides have always feuded, being that they are both in the Western Conference, the dislike for one another is at an all-time high after Dallas traded Doncic to the West Coast and the Lakers hired Dallas' former strength and conditioning coach.
While it is just a simple social media post, Dallas sent a message to the Lakers by describing them with a Mickey Mouse ring in reference to their 2020 championship in the bubble.
25-26 Schedule haul! Everything linked in the link in bio! 😘@ticketmaster // #MFFL pic.twitter.com/kI0CiQL177
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) August 14, 2025
Calling the Lakers' 2020 ring a "Mickey Mouse ring" is no doubt a low blow, but it only adds fuel to the fire between the two teams. While calling the 2020 bubble ring a "Mickey Mouse ring" has been a term used since Los Angeles won the title, it is a fair debate to be had among basketball fans, considering there was no travel between the two cities or fans in attendance, as both the Miami Heat and Lakers were locked down in the bubble.
There's no doubt that Dallas calling the Lakers' ring essentially fake was more of a joke rather than an actual message to Los Angeles, but it definitely has sparked some debate in the comments section.
Although it is a lighthearted joke by Dallas' social media squad, it's still a low blow to the Lakers, and this will surely be in the back of their mind if the two teams appear to have bad blood against one another.
Dallas will be in the hunt for the playoffs alongside Doncic and the Lakers, which should make for an exciting five-game regular-season series against one another. Not only will Doncic be out for blood and revenge against the Mavericks, but Dallas will need to show the fans that they have moved on from Doncic and the fallout of the February 1 trade saga that swept the sports world.
When the two teams face off against each other in late November, it will take place in Los Angeles, but it will have the full attention of every sports fan. Any matchup between the Mavericks and Lakers will be must-see TV for as long as Doncic plays in Los Angeles.