Dirk Nowitzki is the greatest player in Dallas Mavericks history. The German-born power forward is sixth all time in career points, won an MVP, and led the Mavs to their only championship in the 2011 NBA Finals. Despite the accolades, Nowitzki, who retired at the conclusion of last season, may not have the title as “greatest Maverick” forever, according to team owner Mark Cuban.

21-year-old Slovenian prodigy Luka Doncic, last year's Rookie of the Year and a first-time All-Star in 2020, could one day surpass the great Nowitzki.

Cuban appeared on SiriusXM NBA Radio on Friday, Doncic's birthday, explaining how Doncic could seize the “opportunity” to be the greatest player in Mavs history.

Doncic has certainly broken through to much more acclaim early in his (Mavs) career than Nowitzki. Doncic, the third overall pick in the 2018 draft traded to Dallas, averaging 24.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game 119 contests into his brief NBA tenure.

Nowitzki took a little while to clearly impose his will and prove he was an NBA star than the former EuroLeague MVP in Doncic. Nowitzki only averaged 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in his debut season stateside, at 20 years old, and it wasn't until his fourth season, at 23, he became a first-time All-Star. Nowitzki would go on to be a 14-time All-Star and Finals MVP, rectifying a disappointing loss in the title series in 2006 when the Mavs got their revenge against the Miami Heat in 2011.

Doncic has the Mavs firmly in the 2020 playoff race in the Western Conference, currently the seventh seed after dropping a few spots but only several games reasonably out of fourth place.