Jason Kidd's Quote About Luka Doncic Went Viral Before NBA Finals

Jason Kidd spoke about Luka Doncic before the Dallas Mavericks play Game 1.

Mar 17, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd speaks to Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday evening, the Dallas Mavericks will play Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics in Massachusetts.

At just 25, Luka Doncic will be playing in his first career Finals, and he has established himself among the ten best players in the league.

Before Game 1, head coach (and Basketball Hall of Famer) Jason Kidd spoke about Doncic.

Kidd Speaking On Doncic Via The NBA: "When you look at Luka's level of understanding the game, of time and score, of who's on the floor, he is at the head of the class. When you look at the stage, he's not afraid of the stage of the moment. Successful or not, he loves that moment. It's really cool when you get to spend a lot of time with someone to see how they do move around the floor."

"When you look at Luka's level of understanding the game, of time and score, of who's on the floor, he is at the head of the class... when it comes down to it, he's about winning"

- Coach Kidd on Luka Doncic's basketball IQ pic.twitter.com/yhuZj5nmgx

— NBA (@NBA) June 5, 2024

Doncic is in his sixth season in the NBA, and this is the third year that Kidd has been at the helm.

The Mavs reached the Western Conference finals during Kidd's first season (2022) and they missed the playoffs last year.

They did an excellent job of bouncing back and finished the 2024 regular season as the fifth seed in the Western Conference with a 50-32 record.

May 13, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) walks off the court past head coach Jason Kidd during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game four of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Doncic finished the regular season with averages of 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 1.4 steals per contest while shooting 48.7% from the field and 38.2% from the three-point range in 70 games.

He was the third pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.