Former Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki sat down recently with Stephen Jackson on Showtime Basketball's "All the Smoke" podcast to discuss a number of topics. But one that grabbed plenty of attention was Nowitzki talking about the final stretch of his NBA career when Luka Doncic joined the team.
Nowitzki gave a great breakdown of how Doncic went from having some doubters to quickly impressing his teammates. The 14-time NBA All-Star was also quick to say that he couldn't even really be a mentor to Doncic due to the fact that the budding star "didn't really need" him. But in that, Doncic caught a bit of a slip-up from Dirk and proceeded to throw a light-hearted jab his way on X, formerly known as Twitter, after.
First, here's a look at the clip, courtesy of Showtime Basketball.
Dirk was skeptical about Luka at first.
— SHOWTIME Basketball (@shobasketball) December 4, 2023
But after spending more time with him, he saw the @dallasmavs’ vision.
Watch the latest episode of All The Smoke with @swish41 on our YouTube.#MFFL pic.twitter.com/OU3ALiqB9v
Right after the one-minute mark, Nowitzki talked about their relationship and his role with him, stating, "I guess we're friends, we're cool...you know, when I'm in town, we go to dinners or whatever. A mentor would be a little strong."
Doncic responded, highlighting the start of Nowitzki's comments there.
@swish41 you guess we are friends? https://t.co/m7VkwGNeDu
— Luka Doncic (@luka7doncic) December 4, 2023
It was well-played by Doncic, who seemingly suggests the two have a stronger relationship than Nowitzki led on. The two spent the 2018-19 season together, but have been spotted chatting numerous times around the arena before, during or after games.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!