Back in February, Chicago ESPN Radio hosts David Kaplan and J. Hood opened up one morning on their show, reacting to something their friend and co-worker Marc Silverman—better known as Silvy—had said. Silvy had publicly declared that he was boycotting the Chicago Bulls—calling it a Bulls-cott—because he disagreed with how the team was being run. Kaplan and J. Hood didn’t just brush it off. They dove right in and gave their own thoughts on how personal frustration with a team’s management can build up over time and what a boycott is.
Then on March 28, 2025, Silvy brought the topic up again on his afternoon show with Tom Waddle.
He doubled down on his stance, saying he just couldn’t support the Bulls anymore—not until things changed at the top.
The original conversation back in February on the Kap & JHood show, in the days leading up to the trade deadline got me thinking: what would it take for me to boycott a team? And what would that even look like for someone like me—someone who roots for a handful of teams outside the Chicago sports market?
My list of favorites includes the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, among couple other NBA teams. But here’s the thing—I’ve never actually been to any of their games outside of the United Center. Even my trips there are few and far between. I’ve only been to a handful of games at the UC in my life, and most of those were before I even graduated college.
The idea of a boycott feels different when your fandom doesn’t include season tickets or a drawer full of merch. But it’s still real. It’s still emotional. And when Silvy’s comments made their way into the conversation around the NBA trade deadline—and again in the weeks leading up to the playoffs—it really hit home for me.
Because something massive happened. The Dallas Mavericks traded away Luka Dončić—the face of their franchise—to the Lakers. A team I also root for. That trade upset me. On one hand, I love the Lakers and was thrilled they pulled off a blockbuster move. On the other, I felt like the Mavericks betrayed their own fanbase which got me asking myself tough questions such as: What would boycotting a team root for look like? Could I still root for the Mavericks after a move like that? Or would I silently step back like Silvy did with the Bulls?
Here’s the thing, folks: For me boycotting a team I root for would be not spending money to go out and watch games and not buying merchandise. This would include games where they are playing against a team I am still rooting for. While this would mean watching fewer games that teams I do still root for are playing it would free me up to focus more on teams who care about their fans.
With that… I am boycotting the Dallas Mavericks until they make moves to change my mind and I really doubt that will happen any time soon.
You shouldn’t play with them or root for them if upper management and ownership are not trying to put a truly competitive product on the court.