By Leocciano Callao, Dailymail.com
Updated at 01:39 on January 31, 2024, 01:39 on January 31, 2024
- In 2011, Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd led Dallas to its first and only NBA championship.
- Luka Doncic holds Dallas’ highest-scoring first, second and third games
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd made the bold claim that Luka Doncic is better than his former teammate, Mavericks great Dirk Nowitzki.
Kidd appeared on Downbeat’s “97.1 The Freak” on Tuesday and expressed his love for the 24-year-old star to Michael Jordan and other NBA legends.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you know, as long as I’m here, you can’t take this young man for granted,” Kidd said. “He’s better than Dirk. He’s in Jordan’s shoes.” The atmosphere, the best ever. LeBron, Kobe.”
A few days ago, Doncic scored 73 points against the Atlanta Hawks, breaking the team’s scoring record. The previous record was also held by Doncic with 60 points. He and Nowitzki were tied for third with 53 points each.
His incredible feat tied Doncic for the fourth-highest scoring total in NBA history. Joining him in the deadlock were David Thompson and Wilt Chamberlain, twice.
Although Nowitzki isn’t as prolific as Doncic, he was the Mavericks’ goalkeeper until Doncic was drafted in 2018. The power forward also led Dallas to the NBA championship in 2011 with Kidd at point guard. After 21 seasons, Nowitzki is calling 2019 a career year.
When asked about his bold comparison, considering Doncic has yet to reach the Finals, Kidd cited how Jordan didn’t start winning championships until later in his career.
“The same goes for MJ, who didn’t succeed until he was in his 30s,” Kidd said. “This young man is 24 years old and is breaking all the records in front of him.”
“He’s a winner and his ultimate goal is to win a championship and he’s going to achieve that. He’s not just going to win one game, he’s going to win multiple games.
Doncic has earned praise for his undeniable impact at such a young age. In December, he became the sixth-youngest player to reach 10,000 career points.
On Monday, Doncic scored 45 points against the Orlando Magic, joining LeBron James as the only player to reach 10,000 points, 3,000 rebounds and 3,000 assists before turning 25.
“What this young man is doing at 24 years old is something Dallas has never seen,” Kidd reiterated. “He did things that Dirk could never do and now is the opportunity to put the right people around him to finally win a championship.”