For a long time, Dirk Nowitzki’s place as the greatest Dallas Mavericks player of all time was not in question, however, Luka Doncic has created a new debate, and head coach Jason Kidd believes achieving one key goal would make the current Dallas star the new team GOAT.
Heading into the NBA games today, the Mavericks are completing final preparation for the start of their NBA Finals series against the Boston Celtics. The team advancing to the championship round is a historic achievement because the franchise has only reached the championship round on two other occasions.
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The man who helped lead the Mavs to their finals trips in 2006 and 2011 is the one and only Dirk Nowitzki. The 2023 basketball Hall-of-Famer is viewed as the greatest foreign-born player ever and the best to ever put on a Mavericks jersey. He leads the franchise in almost every statistical category, including games played, points, rebounds, and blocks.
However, five-time All-Star Luka Doncic is starting to put together an impressive resume that could create a real debate about who is the greatest Dallas Mavericks player ever. Current head coach Jason Kidd has an interesting perspective to offer the discourse since he played with Nowitzki during their championship season in 2010-11 and has coached Doncic to his first NBA Finals.
- Luka Doncic stats (2023-24): 33.9 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 9.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, 38% 3PT
Jason Kidd says a 2024 NBA Finals win makes Luka Doncic greatest Dallas Mavericks player ever
During a recent appearance on ESPN’s NBA Today, Kidd was asked point-blank if winning a championship this season makes the Slovenian the best Mavericks player ever, he had a simple answer. “Yes.”
Nowitzki took the franchise to their first NBA title, was a 14-time All-Star, won an MVP award in 2006-07, and was a four-time All-NBA first-team player. It seems like Doncic has a very long way to go to match that legacy. However, if he were to win a championship seven years faster than his German counterpart, it would certainly set the stage to eventually take the top spot sooner rather than later.
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