The Dallas Mavericks went from one generational talent to another, and that doesn’t happen very often in the NBA. Moreso, the fact that they were both highly-questioned white kids from Europe when they made it to the league only makes it more of an interesting story.
Luka Doncic has taken Dirk Nowitzki’s torch, and judging by the start of his career, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him having a better career than him. That’s a lot to say, considering Dirk single-handedly led the Mavs to a championship, won one MVP, and became one of the most proficient and influential scorers of all time.
Doncic has the potential to be that and more, but not many people saw that early in his career. As a matter of fact, not even his sidekick and mentor was sold on him when the Mavs first got him in the NBA Draft.
Dirk Nowitzki Had Doubts About Doncic
“My end of career wasn’t pretty, you know, we were struggling,” Nowitzki said on All The Smoke. “There was some talk of tanking going on and we needed a little spark plug to change things. I didn’t think it was going to be this kid. I’m like; I’m not sure this is going to work. Is he quick enough? Is he athletic enough to go buy guys like he is in Europe? And so there were plenty of doubts there from everybody on the team.
Luka Doncic
Then again, it didn’t take long before Dirk realized that Doncic was more than just a talented kid. He was unfazed by the doubters and those who wanted to challenge him, taking the league by storm from day one:
“And so guys were trying to test him a little bit (before training camp started) and, you know foul, him a little bit here and there in their scrimmages,” Nowitzki continued. “And you can already see that this kid’s got something about him. He’s got that swag. He knows how to play. He was getting some AND1 mixtape passes out of nowhere. And I’m like, he was flashing some of the talent.”
Doncic Says Dirk Is The Ultimate Role Model
Dirk knew one thing or two about being overlooked and doubted. Unlike Doncic, he was a bit of a late bloomer, and he had to reinvent his game to make an impact and become the player he became.
Dirk and Doncic only shared the court for one year, but it was more than enough for the Real Madrid star to get a glimpse of the relentless work ethic he needs to become one of the best of all time, which is why he stated Nowitzki should be a role model for all NBA players:
Luka Doncic
“I was lucky enough to play with him one season,” Doncic said. “The things he has done for Dallas are unbelievable, not just as a player but as a person. He did a lot. I think he should be a role model for every player in the league.”
see also
Luka Doncic makes shocking choice for NBA GOAT between Michael Jordan and LeBron James
At the end of the day, there would be no Luka Doncic without Dirk Nowitzki. The German PF was one of the main guys in terms of breaking barriers and taking down stereotypes to open the door for international players to take their talents to the league.
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