Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic will never be what Dirk was for Dallas, and that’s alright

The environment in the building for Dirk Nowitzki‘s last home game with the Dallas Mavericks was almost inexplicable. The final chapter in the book of Dirk may be the greatest one yet.

This kind of post draws out a number of emotions that could rule the mind of any Dallas Mavericks fan over these past few days. It is near impossible to put into words what Dirk Nowitzki means to me and what he means to the city of Dallas. For now I am going to put that topic aside (until I am mentally ready to believe that it is over) and talk more about the future of the Mavs.

Luka Doncic is 20 years old and he is already one of the best players to call Dallas home. The rookie record book is painted with his name and his skillset and opportunity make it look like this really is just the beginning of what could be a fantastic NBA career. When Dirk was 20, well, people were not quite as high on him yet.

With this kind of baseline, why would I talk about how Luka Doncic will never mean what Dirk means to Mavs fans and the people of Dallas? Let me point out a few reasons.

Longevity

Dirk played for the Dallas Mavericks for 21 seasons. 1,521 regular season games, plus another 145 playoff games all featured number 41 on the court. During that time, there were very occasional rumors that other teams may pursue him between contracts, but there was really never a doubt that Dirk would be back in Dallas once again until it was all over.

No other player in NBA history has played that many seasons for one team. Only two other players in history have played that many games, period. The only players that have scored more total points for a single franchise are Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant. And the only player to have played more total minutes for a single franchise is Malone.

The chance of Luka playing 21 NBA seasons itself is pretty unlikely. Dirk is one of five players in NBA history to achieve that milestone and no one has passed it (although Vince Carter will if he stays for another year). History has shown us that, for some reason, the long-lasting careers in NBA history are rarely held by guards who have to be explosive and shifty to be successful in a very tall, very long NBA that continues to get younger instead of older.

Aside from that, the likelihood that Luka stays with Dallas for his whole career is fairly low as well in the grand scheme of things (a sensitive topic, I know). Of the 39 players who have gone for at least 18 seasons, only 5 have spent the entire time with one team. Despite three of those five being modern players, the norm of staying with the team that drafted you that was so prevalent through the 80’s and 90’s is no longer the norm in the current league.

First Championship

Dirk Nowitzki carried a solid but underwhelming team through the 2011 playoffs and right in to the Dallas Mavericks one and only NBA title. The Mavs had to push through some of the hardest times during their climb to the top, losing to an underdog Miami Heat team in 2006, suffering the first 8-over-1 upset in NBA history after the best regular season in NBA history and being written off as soft and incapable of winning a title before the 2011 playoffs even started.

Dirk fought against so much adversity and had to get past his own demons to fulfill the biggest achievement of his career. He did so and it meant everything to him and everything to the people of Dallas who had been starved for a championship for so long.

If Luka is able to bring another title to Dallas, you can bet that the people of Dallas will go crazy. But the thing is, there is no experience quite like the first time. 2011 brought out some of the most amazing basketball moments many of us have ever seen and there are plenty out there that still go back and watch highlights from that playoff run, myself included.

Avoiding the Spotlight

This may be the biggest one of all. Let me preface here by saying I am in no way against Luka Doncic being a part of the spotlight in the mainstream. Being a star on tv is not a bad thing and I would never want Luka to change his personality to try and mirror Dirk’s because the more important part of this is that we need our stars to be genuine.

That said, Dirk hated the praise that he received so regularly for over 20 years. His goal was never to play his game so the cameras would find him, all he wanted to do was play basketball at the highest level and then go home and do it again the next day. Dirk passed on likely hundreds of millions of dollars worth of advertising contracts, he passed on hundreds of millions of dollars in his NBA salary and he just passed on showboating overall.

Luka is very invested in the home fanbase, always ready to give his autograph to kids in the stands and never missing an opportunity to shake hands and be respectful with those who adore him. He is a giving person that will have the opportunity to play a very important role in the community for years to come. His community service will probably always be known to the fans, because he didn’t sneak around to help people like Dirk did.

Luka is already looking like a great player and a fantastic person and I don’t think that is going to change in any way going forward. There is a chance (and I believe many Mavs fans think a big chance) that Luka Doncic will one day be considered a better basketball player than Dirk Nowitzki. I think it is possible, although he has a very long road ahead of him before that conversation can even be considered.

But, the chances of him meaning more to a fanbase and a city that watched this German kid grow into one of the greatest basketball players of all-time and an even better human being, all while bringing the city a championship, an MVP season and countless wins? I would not bet on the over any time soon.

The Mavs fans have been spoiled with Dirk Nowitzki for 21 seasons. There has been no greater athlete to call Dallas their home, and more importantly, there are few who could ever be viewed as a more amazing person than the German-Texan native that has brought joy to millions on and off the court.