Luka Doncic is Becoming Unwatchable and Uncollectable
Protesting calls has been a part of basketball since James Naismith hung the first peach basket.
There are different ways to skin a cat, or a zebra, if you will. A well placed comment with an official or even an angry, immediate, raw protest within the guidelines of decency is accepted in sports arenas nearly across-the-board but a lengthy, drawn out level of whining and incessant juvenile complaining is seen an entirely different light.
You could chalk this up to me being an old head or someone who views 80s and 90s NBA Basketball through rose-colored glasses. I know one thing for certain, what I'm seeing with my own two eyes in modern NBA basketball is one of the biggest superstars in the game and one of the most collectible players in the hobby being almost unwatchable due to his nearly non-stop complaining.
In a recent Friday night ESPN televised game between Luka's Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns, I watched a play develop toward the end of the first half were Doncic felt he was hit on the arm after missing a shot and he literally argued for no less than six possessions up-and-down the court to the complete detriment of his own team in certain instances. The problem is that it doesn't stop there. That complaint bleeds right into the next complaint which bleeds right into the next complaint and eventually you can't stop the bleeding.
In all seriousness, we have nearly reached a level of insanity with the Mavs franchise player but no one with his ear seems to ready to truly address the issue...or maybe they can't.
This isn't exactly breaking news. Doncic was taken to task during the playoffs last season by analysts, pundits and basketball insiders for carrying himself in a similar way. As far as this season, I literally had to turn the game off at a certain point Friday night. I could no longer continue to watch the incessant whining, complaining, and arguing.
Luka defenders might say Tony, there has always been complaining and jockeying for calls in the NBA, to which I would totally agree. The difference, dear friends, is that in past eras, it wasn't done in such a whiny fashion. If you saw Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley or other past greats complaining to a ref, that player was damn near biting the referee's face off, not acting like a petulant child for the remainder of the quarter. There is also something to be said for a low key, respectful way to engage and state your case to an official.
I am, almost exclusively, a rookie card collector. I definitely have a handful of Luka rookies in my collection but this truly makes me wonder if I want to add anymore to my PC.
I like to think that my collection is a representation of the athletes I enjoy watching and, to a lesser degree, who I am as a fan and collector. That is the beauty of the hobby, your collection is yours and yours alone. Every one of our collections is a one of one. Another huge draw of the hobby is the fantastic feeling that collecting cards and memorabilia brings you closer to the game and the great players we watch. After watching Luka in action in the moment, I definitely didn't see him as collectible and that was not a game I felt the need to be closer to in any way.
In an era when every card is seen as some type of stock market investment, a certain percentage of people don't truly care what happens on the court. They care about what happens on eBay, COMC, Card Ladder, Goldin, Heritage, and other worthy collectible platforms. To each his own, to be sure. That can be a profitable and equally fun way to handle your business and enjoy your time in the hobby. But again, you could call me old school in that way. I want to hold on to cards of athletes that I appreciate and that I genuinely like watching play as well as players that I admire and respect... at least on some level.
There's no debate that Luka's game is borderline generational. His nightly stat line and overall numbers are Teflon. 28-8-8, rinse and repeat for 20 years. Done and done. His projected numbers and potential career landing spot is awe inspiring. His comparisons to other all time greats, statistically, is as impressive as anybody at his age. I appreciate those facts but it almost doesn't matter because I truly can't bear to watch a full game that he's playing in. There is something to be said for trying to come to terms with that psychological and collecting loose ball.
Tony Reid spent more than a decade covering combat sports at the highest level. He has written hundreds of articles and conducted hundreds of interviews about sports collectibles for such publications as Beckett, Sports Collectors Digest, and Sports Collectors Daily. Reid worked full time at a sports card shop in Central Pennsylvania for a number of years. A lifelong collector, Tony treasures his rookie card collection of star players in baseball, basketball, and football. If you want to discuss the greatness of Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson or Ken Griffey Jr., you can reach him at @tonyreidwrites on all social media platforms