Dallas Mavericks executive Michael Finley has finally explained the viral moment in which he took a beer from Luka Doncic during a postgame celebration, clarifying that the situation looked different than it actually was.
Speaking on The K&C Masterpiece, the Mavericks co-interim general manager described how the interaction unfolded and why he intervened despite previously congratulating the star guard.
“I leave the court. I see number 77 standing over there having a beer, and I say, ‘Congratulations, young fella, you definitely deserve that beer,’” Finley said. “And he’s like, ‘Thanks, man, thanks.’”
Finley said he initially walked away after the brief exchange and joined the rest of the team inside the locker room to celebrate.
“I leave him. I go in the locker room. I celebrate with the rest of the team. We’re having a great time,” Finley said. “Champagne is being popped. Pictures are being taken and we’re having a jolly old time.”
The situation changed when the team’s social media staff asked for help organizing a photo.
“And I come out of the locker room and our social media department is frozen,” Finley said. “I’m like, ‘What’s going on guys? What’s wrong?’”
According to Finley, the staff wanted to take a photo of Doncic with his father but hesitated because the All-Star was holding a beer.
“They said, ‘We wanna take a picture of Luka and his dad,’” Finley said. “I said, ‘Well, take the picture. You guys are great at it, take the picture.’”
The concern quickly became clear.
“They said, ‘But Luka’s holding a beer, he’s drinking a beer,’” Finley said.
The staff suggested that someone else intervene, but Finley decided to handle it himself.
“I said, ‘Well, go take the beer from him,’” Finley said. “They said, ‘What? We can’t do that.’ I said, ‘OK, I’ll do it.’”
That decision created the now-famous clip circulating on social media.
“So when you watch the video, I go take the beer, I hug Luka again,” Finley said. “And that’s why Luka looked like, ‘Man, what are you doing? We just talked about this and you said it was cool.’”
Doncic has been one of the league’s most productive players since entering the NBA in 2018. Over eight seasons, he has averaged 29.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists while earning multiple All-NBA selections.
The Slovenian star currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers after being traded by Dallas during the 2024-25 season.
During the 2025-26 campaign, Doncic has continued to produce at an elite level, averaging 32.3 points, 8.6 assists and 7.8 rebounds in 50 games.
