Jason Kidd just announced his departure
Jason Kidd, the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, has announced his resignation.
The greatest player to ever don a Dallas Mavericks jersey is Luka Doncic.
According to head coach Jason Kidd, yes. In a Tuesday appearance on “The Downbeat” on Dallas radio station 97.1 The Freak, Kidd said that Doncic is “better than Dirk” Nowitzki.
As a teammate of Nowitzki during the Mavericks’ 2011 NBA championship run, Kidd spent eight seasons for the franchise (1995–1997; 2008–2012). “Just to appreciate what this young man’s doing at the age of 24, it’s something that Dallas has never seen,” Kidd stated. “He is superior to Dirk, I’ve told myself. He is capable of feats that Dirk was never able to accomplish, and he now has the chance to surround himself with the right people in order to finally win a championship.”
In June 2021, Kidd was appointed head coach of the Mavericks. Kidd claimed to have seen enough during his two and a half seasons as Doncic’s coach to conclude that the Slovenian sensation is “in the atmosphere of MJ, the best to ever do it, LeBron (James), Kobe (Bryant).”
Kidd remarked, “This young man, who is 24 years old, is smashing every record that stands in his way.” “He is a winner, and obtaining a championship is his ultimate objective. He’ll arrive, too.”
Doncic is coming off a fantastic three-game run in which he scored the fourth-most points in an NBA game on Friday, helping the Mavericks defeat the Hawks 148-143. After that, he scored 28 points in a Saturday defeat to the Sacramento Kings and 45 points on Monday in an Orlando Magic victory.
Although Doncic is second in the NBA in scoring behind Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers, who is now the reigning MVP, with an average of 34.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 9.6 assists this season, his resume is not as impressive as Nowitzki’s.
In addition to winning the league MVP award in 2007, Nowitzki was named the Finals MVP following the Mavericks’ four-game victory over the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals. The 14-time All-Star (2002–2012, 2014–2015, 2019) was chosen for the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021 and was named to the All-NBA first team four times (2005–2007, 2009). The Mavericks retired his No. 41 jersey in 2022, and in 2023, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. With 31,560 points at the end of his career—sixth on the NBA’s all-time scoring leaders list—he also concluded with 11,489 rebounds, 3,651 assists, 1,210 steals, and 1,281 blocks.
Doncic was selected to the All-NBA first team four times (2020–2023) and is a five-time NBA All-Star (2020–24). Despite being selected as the 2019 NBA All-Rookie first-team rookie of the year, Doncic has never led his Mavericks out of the Western Conference and into the NBA Finals. The closest they got was a 2022 trip to the Western Conference Finals, which they lost to the Golden State Warriors, the eventual champions. Last season, the Mavericks were unable to make it to the postseason.
Doncic will undoubtedly lift the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy during his career, according to Kidd. When all is said and done, he will “not just win one, but he will win multiples,” he continued.
