Luka Doncic and Dirk Nowitzki have grown really close together. The latter has been a sort of mentor to the Dallas Mavericks star during his first few years in the league. The two are close enough that they can take some playful shots at each other without really offending each other.

Take, for example, this interaction between the two Mavs legends. Nowitzki attended Luka Doncic's FIBA Europe game against Sweden. During the game, the Swedish crowd decided to try and get in Doncic's head by chanting, ā€œoverrated!ā€. The camera then panned to Nowitzki doing the same chant. (via ClutchPoints)

There was probably a point in Doncic's career when ā€œoverratedā€ chants like this were not completely ridiculous. The Mavs star had a lot of hype around him before his draft. However, fans were skeptical about his chances at repeating the same success in the NBA. Hence, the overrated chants.

Nowadays, though, any insinuation that Doncic is overrated will get you dirty look from most basketball fans. The Slovenian phenom has proven time and time again that he can will the Mavs to victory. His 2022 playoff run all but removed the last shreds of doubt about him, as he led his team to the Western Conference Finals.

Now, Doncic has another team to lead into a deep playoff run. The FIBA tournament that the Mavs star is playing in is for a spot in the 2023 FIBA World Cup to be held in Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Can he punch his country's ticket to the most prestigious international basketball event in the world?