In this Saturday, April 11, 2015 file photo, Los Angeles Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan brings in a rebound in front of Memphis Grizzlies’ Zach Randolph, left, and JaMychal Green, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles. AP
It started with an emoji Twitter battle, then a pseudo hostage situation, which then ended in a game of cards and some video games. Finally, DeAndre Jordan made up his mind and shunned the Dallas Mavericks to stay with the Los Angeles Clippers.
ESPN’s Marc Stein reported that Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had informed people in the Dallas franchise that Jordan would remain with the Clippers.
Earlier, Jordan had a verbal agreement with the Mavericks to join the franchise for the 2015-2016 season.
Yahoo Sports Adrian Wojnarowski posted on Twitter that a source told him the “meeting was short.”
“It was clear he was returning to them. Then they started to play cards,” Wojnarowski posted on Twitter.
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, owner Steve Ballmer, players Chris Paul, Paul Pierce, J.J. Reddick, and Blake Griffin reportedly trooped to Jordan’s Texas home to persuade the center to stay with the franchise.
Dallas’ bid to land Jordan’s signature and commitment was not only fought on interpersonal level but over Twitter with Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons tweeting an airplane emoji to which Reddick answered with a truck emoji, implying he could drive to Jordan’s house.
Pierce then posted an “emoji” of a rocket ship, which—for the information of those who had the faintest idea of what emoticons are—was not an emoji.