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Basketball Hall-of-Famer Dirk Nowitzki had a hilarious response to Dallas Mavericks boss Mark Cuban's take that Luka Doncic is better than the German superstar.
The Dallas executive shared his thoughts on the Nowtizki-Doncic comparison when asked on The Draymond Green Show which of the two was better.
The 65-year-old businessman and television personality said:
"No disrespect to Dirk ... but Dirk will be the first one to tell you Luka is better."
Made aware of Cuban's comments on NBA Unplugged with Kevin Hart, Dirk Nowitzki amusingly replied with:
"The good thing is that Mark doesn't know anything about basketball."
Nowitzki played 21 years in the NBA, all with the Mavericks and under the leadership of Cuban, with whom he developed a great relationship not only on the court but also off it.
Throughout his NBA run, the 7-foot German sensation built his legend as the greatest Mavericks player of all time.
He led the team to its first-ever NBA title in 2011, where he was also voted the finals most valuable player.
Dirk Nowitzki was the league MVP in 2007, a 14-time NBA All-Star, a 12-time All-NBA Team member (four in the First Team) and named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. His No. 41 jersey was retired by the Mavericks in January 2022.
The Wurzburg native finished his career with 31,560 points (20.7 ppg) and 11,489 rebounds (7.5 rpg).
Doncic, meanwhile, has taken the torch from Dirk Nowitzki, is now the undeniable team leader and has been steady on it since landing in Dallas in 2018 via a draft-day trade with the Atlanta Hawks for Trae Young. He is a five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA First Team member.
Dirk Nowitzki says he had initial doubts on Luka Doncic
Dirk Nowitzki played his final year in the NBA during the rookie season of Luka Doncic. He said that initially he did not know what to expect from the young Slovenian player and actually had his doubts.
The one-time NBA champion shared this during his session with the All The Smoke podcast of former NBA players Matt Barnes and Steven Jackson late last year, highlighting how, after initial doubts, Doncic provided a spark for them as he ended his career.
The now 45-year-old legend said, as published on Sports Illustrated:
"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 ... And so, there were plenty of doubts there from everybody on the team."
He eventually became a believer of Doncic when he saw him work and play for an extended period of time, saying:
"You could see it, this kid's got something about him. He's got that swag, he knows how to play ... We were thinking he's going to be a really good player but I didn't think he was going to go that level."
In six years so far with the Mavericks, Doncic has had career averages of 28.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 399 games, which he all started in.
In the ongoing season, Doncic and the Mavericks are currently in fifth spot (49-30) heading into the playoffs.
Guess the Bulls players in this quiz and it's not going to be easy!
