Dallas Mavericks phenom Luka Doncic has put the basketball-watching world on notice in his second season in the NBA. Whereas he may have starred around the world previously before he came to the United States, what he has done as a 20-year-old has drawn the attention of some of the game's premier legends, including Jerry West, who currently works for the Los Angeles Clippers as an executive board member.
West mentioned that he saw potential in Luka Doncic that would allow him to launch past Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki.
In an interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols, Luka Doncic spoke about what those comparisons and praise from West mean to him:
“To become even a little bit like Dirk, I need a lot, a lot of improvement,” Doncic said, admiring the work that Nowitzki put in for over two decades with the Dallas organization.
Surprised Luka Doncic has been able to leap from Rookie of the Year to MVP contender in just half a season? So is he. I sat down with the NBA's rising superstar to talk title aspirations, trash talking with Kobe and why he still feels pressure playing against LeBron. pic.twitter.com/UGkxXqMlLW
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) January 8, 2020
“I live with pressure every day,” Doncic said, referring to the fact that he left his home country of Slovenia when he was just 13 years old in order to head to Madrid, Spain, where he gained the nickname “Wonder Boy” for his preternatural abilities.
West, an esteemed member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, has seen an excess of talent come through the league since he roamed the floor during the 1960s and '70s. For him to be so effusive in his praise of Doncic is a likely indication of how special the Mavericks' new face of the franchise is, even as he demurs the pressure that others heap upon him.
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