The shocking trade that sent Luka Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers continues to send tremors through the sports world, even months later. The wound it created among the Mavs fanbase will probably never be healed. The anger is palpable as the “Fire Nico” chants slamming Mavs general manager Nico Harrison have gone beyond the basketball landscape.
Last month, the Texas Rangers fans surprisingly chanted it out at Globe Life Field despite it being absolutely unrelated to baseball. Turning to the NFL, several players, including Patrick Mahomes, have talked about how hard it hit. Now adding more to it, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has spoken about the matter.
Jones’s comments add a new dimension to the entire saga since he himself is an administrator and must have made several tough decisions for the sake of his team. However, what Jones revealed about his wife Eugenia Jones’ reaction touched the heart of everyone.
Jerry Jones Opens Up About Eugenia’s Response to Luka Dončić Trade
Speaking at a pre-draft press conference ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, Jerry Jones was asked about the high-profile trade that has left Mavericks fans in disbelief. A longtime supporter of the Mavericks and personal friend of Dončić, Jones didn’t shy away from addressing the emotional toll it took, especially on his wife.
“Well I am a fan of the Mavericks, big fan of the Mavericks, and consequently a big fan of Luka,” Jones began, adding, “The world knows that I’ve got my hands full thinking about what we think about over here…
“I look at the Mavericks through a very much entertainment eye. I know Luka was a personal friend and watched a lot of games with us, and would hope that he’d be able to watch some more games with us as we go along. We know his family pretty well and his support staff pretty well. All of that is one as a fan.”
What hit hardest, however, was how deeply the trade affected his wife, Gene, a former all-state basketball player with deep ties to the sport.
Jerry Jones was asked about his thoughts on the Luka debacle and calls him a personal friend who watched a lot of games with them. He said his wife Gene was an all state basketball and “lives and dies with the hey basketball” and says she cried when he got traded
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) April 22, 2025
“Now Gene was all-state, scored 17 straight free throws in the state championship game, and Gene lives and dies with that basketball,” Jones said. “She cried when Luka left, but I understand that, and I understand, frankly, that you say, ‘How could that happen?’ I’ve got a little bit better understanding of how something like that can happen.”
Eugenia’s tearful reaction highlights just how shocking and painful the move was for the Dallas community. Dončić, once seen as the cornerstone of the Mavericks’ future, was traded to the Lakers on February 1 in a blockbuster deal that immediately drew intense backlash.
Two months later, that criticism hasn’t subsided, with Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison continuing to take heat from fans, media, and even high-profile figures like Charles Barkley and Stephen A. Smith.
While Jerry Jones didn’t explicitly criticize the trade, his remarks and tone made it clear he sympathizes with the disbelief many feel. As one of the most influential figures in Dallas sports, his comments underscore just how deep Dončić’s departure has cut. For Eugenia, and many others, the loss is still raw.