Dallas Mavericks: LeBron James tried to sign Luka Doncic with Nike

Dallas Mavericks: LeBron James wanted to sign Luka Doncic to Nike

Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic is quickly becoming one of the biggest stars in the NBA. Fans can see it in the All-Star votes, but also the national TV schedule. The Mavs first two games are on ESPN including a Christmas Day showdown against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in primetime.

Doncic is earning it on the court. He made the first-team All-NBA last season and finished fourth in MVP voting after averaging 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game as a 21-year-old. Luka is unstoppable on the offensive end of the floor. He gets to his spots and makes plays. The Mavericks had the highest offensive rating in NBA history last season with Doncic piloting the charge.

LeBron James went on the Road Trippin’ show with Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye, and Allie Clifton where he offered some massive praise and an interesting story about Luka Doncic. Let us take a closer look.

LeBron James wanted to sign Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic to Nike

King James had this to say about the Mavs superstar.

"“Luka is one of my favorite players in the NBA today. From the simple fact of, the way I play the game is exactly how I love the way he plays the game. Team first. Gets his guys involved. If you challenge me to score, I am going to score, and at the same time, I am going to keep my guys involved. I play for the team, and I am going to play with a sense of joy.”"

That is massive praise from one of the best players in NBA history. LeBron continued with a story about Doncic.

"“When Luka was going through his contract negotiations with Nike, and you saw him at one point he was wearing Jordans. He started wearing the other brands… I wanted to begin Team LeBron and have Luka as my first signing with Nike. This is what I wanted. I don’t believe my guys at Nike were ready for that, and obviously, they were not because he ended up going to Jordan. I don’t even know if Luka knows this, but he will know it now. I wanted Luka to be the first signee of Team LeBron when he was going through his situation.It didn’t happen. He is still under the same umbrella of Nike. He’s with Jordan. That is how much I believed in him. I feel like it is going to haunt me a little bit, but I wanted him to be my guy. My first guy because I just love what he stands for. I love everything about him both on the court and off the court. He’s just a great guy.”"

Luka got a massive deal with Jordan Brand, but it would have been interesting to see if things were different in the scenario LeBron lays out.

Doncic has made it known that LeBron James is one of his basketball idols. Both men are unique talents that should be vying for the MVP award this season. It will be a juicy Christmas Day matchup between the two stars. Fans should tune in for the cannot miss entertainment.