Michael Finley is adamant he’s not a member of the fun police.
Nearly two years after the Mavericks executive was caught on video ripping a celebratory beer away from Luka Doncic following Dallas’ Western Conference Finals victory over the Timberwolves, Finley revealed he was absolutely not attempting to throw a wet blanket on his star’s party.
Finley insisted to 105.3 The Fan on Thursday that he was actually just temporarily holding the beverage for Doncic so the Mavericks’ social media team could snap some photos of the guard following the big May 2024 win.
“This is the God’s honest truth about the beer situation with our former player,” Finley said. “So after the game in Minnesota, we win the Western Conference championship, we’re on our way to the Finals. I leave the court. I see No. 77 standing over there having a beer, and I say, ‘Congratulations, young fella. You definitely deserve that beer.’
“And he’s like, ‘Thanks, Fin. Thanks.’
“I leave him, I go in the locker room, I celebrate with the rest of the team. We’re having a great time. Champagne’s being popped, pictures are being taken, and we’re having a jolly old time.”
Finley, though, said when he briefly left the locker room, he noticed some of Dallas’ photographers were “frozen” and staring at Doncic — who was traded to the Lakers only a few months after the incident.
“I’m like, ‘What’s going on, guys? What’s wrong?’” he said. “They said, ‘We want to take a picture of Luka and his dad.’ And I said, ‘Well take the picture. What are you — you guys are great at it. Take the picture.’
“They said, ‘But Luka’s holding a beer. He’s drinking a beer.’”
So Finley said he went to grab the cold one so the Mavs could get some content.
“When you watch the video,” Finley explained, “I go, I take the beer, I hug Luka again, and that’s why Luka looked like, ‘Man, what are you doing? We just talked about this and you said it was cool.’
“I take the beer, he looks at me in an odd way, they take the picture, two minutes later he comes back and I give him the beer and we continue to celebrate our win.”
Finley, a 15-year NBA veteran who’s now the Mavericks’ co-interim general manager, went on to say that as a former player, he wanted Doncic to enjoy every minute of that victory.
“I’ve been there, I’ve done that and I don’t take it for granted,” he said. “And when a guy like Luka, and what he had done for the team that season, that series, he deserved a chance to celebrate.”
“And,” Finley continued, “I gave the beer back. We celebrated in the locker room. We had a great night. Great trip and went on to the Finals. And yeah, that’s the story. That’s the whole truth and nothing but the truth, as they say.”
Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Post Opinion
California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!
California Post App: Download here!
Home delivery: Sign up here!
Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!