A lot was made of the chummy on-court antics between Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic while they were teammates in the retirement game for Goran Dragic. The two NBA superstars appeared to have a great relationship and friendship; which makes sense for two of the biggest basketball stars alive who hail from Serbia and Slovenia respectively.
Two of the best international players of all time, it’s easy to see the similarities in their games despite playing completely different positions. But to watch two basketball savants sharing the floor with so much joy, led many to wonder if the two would ever play together in the NBA.
Jokic seems perfectly happy in Denver as he’s about to enter his 30s, while the young Doncic just reached the Finals for the first time in his career. There’s no reason to think that either player will be leaving their team any time soon, but the thought of combining their offensive brilliance is certainly tantalizing.
Dirk Nowitzki hopes that Jokic and Doncic team up in Dallas
Another international basketball legend, the Hall of Famer and former Dallas Maverick Dirk Nowitzki was another participant in the recent Dragic game and was asked about the Jokic/Doncic connection by Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops.
Dirk immediately responded “I hope that would be in Dallas” before talking about the connection he sees in the two players. Nowitzki also added that Doncic and Jokic have a “great relationship”, that they “genuinely like each other”, and that they “spend time together”.
It’s nothing too crazy but it’s certainly interesting to note there seems to be an authentic friendship. Obviously, Dirk wasn’t reporting anything, but it seems like he thinks there is at least a chance that the two players will eventually team up in the league.
As for Nowitzki, of course, the career Maverick would never want to see Luka leave the team and would hope to see them team up in Dallas. This would be a nightmare scenario of sorts for the Nuggets and their fans who surely hope the best player in franchise history will be there for the duration of his own career.
For now, it’s nothing more than a pipedream to see these two on the same team, but for our sake, let’s hope it’s in Denver.