Luka Doncic and Dirk Nowitzki: Where Do Mavs Rank in EuroBasket History?
Luka Doncic just wrapped up his second appearance in EuroBasket. In his second go-round, he tallied 182 points in seven games.
In a three-game stretch, he scored 36, 47 and 35 points. His 47-point performance was the second highest in EuroBasket history and the most since Dirk Nowitzki's 41 in 2001.
So where does the Dallas Mavericks' star rank compared to other NBA players who competed in EuroBasket? What about Nowitzki?
In ESPN's ranking of the top 10 NBA players to compete in EuroBasket, Doncic started the list and Nowitzki topped it.
Kevin Pelton explains.
"We start with Doncic, a sure bet to move up this list in years to come," Pelton wrote. "If he continues developing in his mid-20s, he's got an excellent chance of joining the list of European MVPs and adding an NBA title to the EuroBasket crown."
Doncic's former teammate owns an impressive resume.
"The crown of top European career lies with Nowitzki, who ranks 16th in NBA history in championships added," Pelton wrote. "The league's MVP in 2006-07, Dirk filled in the missing piece of his résumé by leading the Dallas Mavericks to the 2011 NBA title as Finals MVP."
During his time with Germany, Nowitzki competed in EuroBasket eight times. His best performance came in 2007-08 when he scored 216 points in nine games. That year, he led the tournament in scoring and helped Germany to a fifth-place finish.
"Nowitzki also boasts longevity today's current stars will have to match, Dirk won EuroBasket MVP in 2005, when he led Germany to a runner-up finish," Pelton wrote.
Recently, the 14-time all-star had his jersey retired by the German National team, becoming the first player to ever do so.
So what are the chances Doncic tops Nowitzki?
"Luka is just 23 and has already moved ahead of several All-Stars almost exclusively based on the past three seasons," Pelton wrote. "If Luka merely keeps up this pace, he'll be among the greatest NBA players ever."
Now, if only Doncic can join Nowitzki as NBA champions.
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