Dallas Basketball

Mavs NBA All-Star Highlights: Luka & MJ Embrace, Kidd & Giannis Reminisce

The NBA All-Star Game was jam-packed with wholesome and memorable moments for key members of the the Dallas Mavericks. Here are the main highlights.
Dalton Trigg|
Mavs NBA All-Star Highlights: Luka & MJ Embrace, Kidd & Giannis Reminisce
Mavs NBA All-Star Highlights: Luka & MJ Embrace, Kidd & Giannis Reminisce

The NBA has had a lot of memorable All-Star Weekends over the years, but the 75th anniversary was arguably the best one yet. From the gathering and honoring of legends, to the actual close competition of the game itself, it was as close to a perfect night for the league as you could’ve asked for.

The Dallas Mavericks had great representation at at the All-Star Game, with Luka Doncic suiting up for Team LeBron and legends Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd being part of the NBA’s top-75 celebration. Here are some of the biggest Mavs highlights from Sunday night:

KIDD, GIANNIS JOKINGLY REMINISCE

One of the biggest knocks from the media on Jason Kidd as a head coach came from how he treated players when he was with the Milwaukee Bucks, despite Giannis Antetokounmpo always showing admiration for him.

On Sunday, Kidd, Antetokounmpo and Doncic shared a lighthearted moment, as Giannis told Kidd he had become “soft.” Apparently Doncic was late to practice once, and Antetokounmpo reminded Kidd what would’ve happened to him if he had been late back in the day.

MJ GIVES LUKA THE MVP TREATMENT

At halftime of the All-Star Game, when the NBA honored its top-75 players, the greatest legend of them all, Michael Jordan, went out of his was to embrace Luka Doncic in a way that will give any Mavs fan chills.

“It’s amazing, I don’t know how to explain that moment,” said Doncic. “It’s just unbelievable. MJ knows my name. … Just an unbelievable moment. I have no words for that.”

Even after being signed by Jordan Brand for a couple of years now, Doncic is still star-struck by the greatness of MJ, and who can blame him? As great Doncic has been in four NBA seasons, perhaps Jordan can further enhance that as the postseason nears.

LUKA HAS IMPACT IN RESERVE ROLE

Doncic isn’t known for going all-out in All-Star games. He’s mainly just there for the camaraderie with guys like Nikola Jokic, whose wife is also good friends with Doncic’s girlfriend.

That continued on Sunday, as Doncic scored just eight points — the same amount he’s scored in all of his All-Star games now — on 3-of-6 shooting from the field with three assists. Those numbers are modest for Doncic, but after scoring at least 45 points or more for the Mavs in three out of the four games leading up to the All-Star break, the two-time All-NBA First Teamer doesn’t have much else to prove.

Dirk Nowitzki is always a highlight

Anytime Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki is a part of anything these days, it’s considered a highlight to us. Nowitzki was heavily involved in All-Star Weekend, and it made for some incredible photos.

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Dalton Trigg
DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.

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