Luka Doncic sends heartfelt reaction as Jared Dudley bids emotional farewell to Mavericks after Nuggets move

LA Lakers star Luka Doncic showed some love for his former coach, Jared Dudley. ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Thursday that Dudley left the Dallas Mavericks and joined the Denver Nuggets as an assistant coach under David Adelman. The former NBA player has been an assistant for the Mavericks since the 2021-22 season.

As an assistant coach, Dudley worked with Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Jalen Brunson and his former teammate, Anthony Davis. He was part of the Mavericks team that went to the NBA Finals in 2024 against the Boston Celtics.

On Thursday, the one-time champion had a lengthy Instagram post thanking Dallas for having him as an assistant.

"Words cant even describe how thankful I am for being able to coach for the Dallas Mavericks these last 4 years. Want to take time to really say Thank you to Coach Kidd and Nico for giving me the opportunity to coach here," Dudley started.

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"Lastly to the Fans and the Players! Damn!It was a fun ride! Good luck to y’all both! Got to watch and coach some of the best players to ever play this GAME! Luka, Kyrie, AD, Klay Thompson , Brunson and others.. Thank you Dallas 🙏🏽"

Luka Doncic left an all-emoji comment on the post:

"🙏🙏🙏"

The Lakers star commented on Dudley's post.

After his time with Doncic, Dudley will get a chance to coach another European superstar in Nikola Jokic, who's looking to win another NBA title for Denver.

A former Mavericks executive reunites with Luka Doncic

On Friday, it was confirmed that Luka Doncic was reunited with Don Nelson, the former general manager for the Mavericks. According to Marc Stein's report, Nelson joined the Slovenian national basketball team as a special adviser.

“Former Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson has been named as a special adviser to Slovenia's national team, reuniting him with Luka Doncic,” Stein reported.

“Nelson has a long history in the international game working with Lithuania’s national team.”

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Nelson's stint with the Mavericks as an executive lasted 16 years. He witnessed Dirk Nowitzki's 2011 masterclass in the playoffs that led to an NBA title. Additionally, he got the chance to see Luka Doncic's early stages of his career in the league.

He's had experiences with international teams as he served as an assistant coach for Lithuania in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics.

About the author

Reign Amurao specializes in basketball at Sportskeeda, bringing 3 years of experience to his role and a Bachelor's Degree in Communication.

A fervent supporter of the Phoenix Suns, Reign was hooked to their electrifying "Seven-Seconds-Or-Less" offense, which epitomizes high-paced and high-intensity basketball. For Reign, Steve Nash is the ultimate floor general, and he believes Boris Diaw could've been the next Magic Johnson if he had a bit more discipline.

From Reign's perspective, Anthony Edwards is a 90s player stuck in modern times, and Gregg Popovich is an ultimate winner with unparalleled success and leadership in the sport.

Reign's expertise lies in NBA history, particularly the significant moments and trends of the 2000s and 2010s. He prioritizes in-depth research using only credible sources to maintain accuracy in his articles, and avoids misleading topics.

Beyond basketball, Reign enjoys gaming with friends and watches comedy shows and films.

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Edited by Brad Taningco