Dirk Nowitzki went to the All The Smoke podcast and discussed about his last season with the Dallas Mavericks. He revealed that the end of his career wasn’t pretty and the Mavs struggled throughout the 2018-19 season. He also stated that he was initially skeptical of Luka Doncic and didn’t think he was the answer to turn around the franchise.
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As per Dirk, when he saw Doncic for the first time in the training facility, he doubted his quickness and athleticism. The former Mavs forward wasn’t sure if he would pan into the player he is today. Dirk also talked about how he wasn’t the only Doncic skeptic. Other members of the squad also tested him during the training camp and roughed him up now and then.
After watching him soak all the pressure and put on a show with his flashy passes and ability to finish through contact, the team started believing in him. Eventually, he formed a closer bond with Doncic, even after stepping away from the court. He stated, ”My role with him, I guess we’re friends, we’re cool. When I’m in town, we got to dinner.”
“The end of my career wasn’t pretty… We needed a little spark plug. I didn’t think it was going to be [Luka Doncic]… There were plenty of doubts from everybody on the team.”
Dirk Nowitzki was skeptical of Luka at first
(via @shobasketball)
pic.twitter.com/DzDcDU0mX8— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 4, 2023
The 2011 NBA champion said that he doesn’t consider himself the mentor of the incredible talent. The former power forward believes that Luka is so talented that he doesn’t need one. Nowitzki feels “super happy” for the Slovenian who has become a perennial MVP candidate.
Despite these comments by Nowitzki, Luka Doncic felt playfully hurt by the “I guess we’re friends” statement. As per Doncic’s reaction, he was sure that he was friends with the 2011 NBA Finals MVP, so why this “guess” at the start? Doncic took to his Twitter and sarcastically called out this statement while putting the crying emojis.
@swish41 you guess we are friends? https://t.co/m7VkwGNeDu
— Luka Doncic (@luka7doncic) December 4, 2023
This is just a part of the usual banter between the two who have immense respect for each other.
Luka Doncic and Dirk Nowitzki have repeatedly shown love for each other
Doncic immensely treasures his single-season experience with Nowitzki. After beating the Orlando Magic last month, he stated, ”I was lucky enough to play with him one season. The things he has done for Dallas are unbelievable, not just as a player but as a person he did a lot.”
Meanwhile, the 2007 MVP also gave a lot of love back to the Mavs Guard. He has also spoken glowingly about his only season with Doncic. In 2022, Dirk spoke to The Mom Game podcast and stated, ”I was glad I was there for his first year, we didn’t really interact that much, I was hurt for the first 30 games and I didn’t travel for a while.”
“It was still awesome for me to play with him for a year and help him if I can for a little bit, but he was so wise already at a young age.”, he added. No doubt, Luka is carrying forward the legacy set by Dirk, as an elite shooter of the game, and Dirk has nothing but love and support for the young guard.
![Josh Green may have played significant minutes during Game 6, but it was his postgame interview that caught all the attention. While being interviewed by ESPN Australia, Green had a hilarious conversation about Luka Doncic that hilariously disclosed the latter’s fear of spiders and snakes. The Australian even revealed he insisted that Doncic visit his home country, but the latter immediately declined. During the interview, Josh announced that the 6ft 7” guard would be visiting Australia in the upcoming offseason. With Doncic noticeably surprised, an amusing back-and-forth immediately ensued. Luka: “ESPN Australia!” Green: “Luka is coming to Australia this offseason...” Luka: “No there's too many spiders... I’m afraid of snakes and spiders” The five-time All-Star also claimed that Aussies didn’t “like” him. Luka: “They don’t like me.” Green: “They love you. I told him that everyone loves him in Australia but he doesn’t listen to me.” [per Kane Pitman] Josh Green and Luka Doncic just now. Luka: "ESPN Australia!" Green: "Luka is coming to Australia this offseason..." Luka: "No there's too many spiders..." Green: "I've seen none of Slovenia..probably a reason for that..." Luka: "We have no spiders..." It continued.... pic.twitter.com/YokuFVhakq — Kane Pitman (@KanePitman) May 19, 2024 There could be one potential reason for the crowd in Australia not “liking” him. During the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Luka rallied the Slovenian team to defeat Patty Mills and co. 91-80 in the second round of the tournament. Having already lost to Germany in the first round, the 11-point loss resulted in Australia’s elimination from the campaign. So, while Doncic may have only been doing his job, Australia does indeed have a reason to dislike the Slovenian superstar. That said, perhaps he shouldn't count out his chances of a peaceful visit to the country just yet. Luka Doncic could visit Australia due to his friendship with Kyrie Irving Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports Kyrie Irving has been successful while playing FIBA tournaments, having won the 2010 FIBA Americans U18 Championship, the 2014 FIBA World Cup, and the 2016 Olympics. However, despite achieving all of these while representing Team USA, Irving is actually an Australian citizen. The Mavericks star moved to the USA at a young age after being born in Melbourne, Australia. On numerous occasions in his career, he has contemplated representing his birth nation. However, he claims that Coach K influenced his decision and eventually convinced him to play for Team USA instead. “I consider myself an international player even though I played on Team USA,” Irving told Fox Sports. “Team USA asked me to play for them when I was 17 or 18 ... I wanted to play for Australia, but it just didn't happen. Coach K wasn't going to let that happen either.” “I mean, he's Coach K. As a young fella, he definitely did tell me I had a chance to be a part of something bigger than myself and ultimately being the starting point guard on the US Olympic team.” Kyrie and his former coach (at Duke University) found success, winning gold medals in the FIBA World Cup and Olympics. Luka Doncic has often expressed his love for Kyrie, and vice-versa. Apart from lauding each other for the players that they are, they seem to be more proud of each other’s humble personalities. Considering that the two are so close on and off the court, there could be a possibility that Doncic can travel to Australia without receiving threats from the public for his hand in knocking them out of the World Cup. However, given his many fears, it's unlikely the Slovenian superstar ever considers taking the option.](https://cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com/2024/05/dc36b81e-untitled-design-2024-05-19t145959.456.jpg?format=auto&w=384&q=75)
