Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic and Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker have a well-documented rivalry. However, Doncic clarified that it's not something born out of hate but rather competitiveness.

The Mavs star shared as much in a recent interview with Malika Andrews of ESPN, noting that he has nothing but respect for Booker. When asked about their rivalry, the Slovenian wonderboy didn't deny the “competition” that they have, though it's nothing more than that.

“It's competitive basketball. I really love his game, the way he plays. A lot of times I watched the Phoenix Suns actually because of him. He's a really, really great player. But obviously we have this competition whenever we face each other,” Doncic explained before noting that fans will have to see if they'll have the same smoke that they had when they met previously.

 

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For those not in the know, the previous showdowns between Luka Doncic and Devin Booker had been less than friendly. Just last March, they got into the face of each other after some NSFW trash-talking. And who could ever forget that facial expression that Doncic made against Booker and the Suns when the Mavs took them down in the 2022 playoffs? That moment has since become a viral meme.

It'll definitely be exciting to see how the two will fare against each other when they play again. The Mavs and Suns meet on Christmas Day, which should only add more intensity to their budding rivalry. Here's to hoping that Doncic will be healthy when Christmas rolls around.