Dirk Nowitzki Makes Luka Doncic an Offer the Dallas Mavs Cannot Refuse
Selflessness in professional sports? Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki exemplifies it.
As the final hours tick down his jersey being retired, no one would’ve blamed Nowitzki for fixating only on his career accomplishments, but in typical Dirk fashion, he found a way to gush over someone other than himself … and he extended an offer to Luka Doncic that cannot be refused.
"I'd love to mentor him," Nowitzki said while speaking of the young NBA superstar. "He's a really sweet guy with a huge heart. On the court, he looks so mature with the way he plays and how he reads the game.
"And then, when you catch him off the floor, you realize this kid is only 22 years old. It's fantastic and amazing what he's doing."
Nowitzki didn't always have the same confident and captivating presence as he carries today. Long before the 2011 NBA Finals, there came a time where No. 41 only led by example, seldom using his voice to guide the Mavericks locker room.
Nowadays, though, with his championship hardware, in addition to the obvious influence he has on the NBA landscape, mentorship sounds like something right up Nowitzki's alley, and it's fair to assume Doncic would greatly benefit from picking the former league MVP and champion's brain.
"I had a slow start, I could kind of hide behind Steve (Nash) and Mike (Finley) there for a while, but (Luka has) basically been the No. 1 guy ever since he got here," Nowitzki said, while going on to say a ton of pressure comes with such a role.
While it's great that Doncic has such an experienced professional career, he's still a kid by NBA standards, with a lot of room to grow. Unfortunately, Doncic lacks the same veteran teammates Nowitzki had to help carry his team, at least from an on-court perspective.
Nonetheless, Doncic's maturity negates a lot of issues imposed by the Mavericks' current roster. Doncic is still a kid at heart, and he still lets officiating affect him in-game more than it should sometimes, but he's growing and learning every day.
After Doncic hears the comments from Nowitzki - the greatest GOAT in Dallas history and still a Mavs special advisor - perhaps he will take the 'Big German' up on his offer to be his mentor. There is nothing the Mavericks fan base would love more than that, aside from the Dallas front office adding a legitimate No. 2 option next to Doncic in the near future.
Nowitzki's jersey retirement ceremony begins following the Mavs' matchup with the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. We'll be in the gym, so ... Follow DallasBasketball.com for further updates on the event and everything else Dallas Mavericks.
