Super rookie Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks expressed his awe with the in-game photo of him together with Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol.

Check out Donic's caption via Twitter, where he acknowledged Nowitzki and Gasol as legends.

If all goes well, Doncic himself might also be considered one of the best ever to touch a basketball. Whatever the future holds for the 19-year-old, he is definitely in debt to the two legends beside him.

After all, Nowitzki and Gasol are considered as one of the best players from Europe to play in the NBA. Their success in basketball's biggest stage has inspired European players like Doncic to take their talents abroad and compete at the highest level.

Apart from their individual impact on the game, they have also brought along with them a different brand of basketball. Many analysts have observed that NBA teams have a team-oriented approach nowadays — playstyle that's intrinsic in European ball clubs — contrary to the superstar-centric type of ball in the earlier days.

Scouts have also flocked to different countries with hopes of landing the next big star. They have come to discover that the next biggest talent may not reside in the US, but somewhere in Europe and other parts of the world. As time goes on, fans should expect a more diverse set of players in each team. And like Doncic, they should give time to acknowledge players like Gasol and Nowitzki as the two ballers who started it all.