The season is over for Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. But that doesn't diminish what both player and team were able to accomplish.
Mavs superstar showed why he's a future MVP and one of the best players of his generation during this playoff run to the Western Conference Finals. In doing so, he's made some history alongside some legendary company.
The Mavs star had 28 points and six assists in Game 5 against the Warriors, marking his 19th stat line of 25-5 in his young playoff career. That trails just Lakers icons Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in NBA history as the only two who tallied 20 or more such games before turning 24 years old.
Tonight, Luka Doncic has recorded his 19th career playoff game of at least 25 points and 5 assists.
Only Kobe Bryant (20) and LeBron James (24) had more before turning 24.
Doncic has scored at least 25 points in 23 of his 28 career playoff games. @dallasmavs | #MFFL pic.twitter.com/0vOTprJOFp
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) May 27, 2022
It's no shame to be behind those two legends of the game. But Luka Doncic also operated with the distinct disadvantage of coming into the NBA a year later. The Mavs star entered the league as a 19-year-old while Kobe and LeBron both jumped straight out of high school, playing their first games as the age of 18.
Not only that, but Doncic also hit his total in much fewer games. LeBron James played in 46 playoff games before turning 24. Kobe Bryant, who joined a team that was already playoff-ready, played in a whopping 85 playoff games before turning 24, making the playoffs in all six of those seasons.
Doncic, meanwhile, has played in just 28 playoff games, thanks in large part to the Mavs running into a stacked Los Angeles Clippers team not once, but twice in his first two appearances. It's safe to say Luka Doncic is special.
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