Former Mavericks Champion Says 'No Way' Luka Doncic Can Become Greatest Maverick

It's hard to surpass one of the greatest players in NBA history in Dirk Nowitzki

Nov 20, 2019; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea (left) and forward Luka Doncic (right) during the game between the Mavericks and the Warriors at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Luka Doncic is off to a historical start to his NBA career and is coming off a season averaging almost 34 points per game. The chatter of whether he can become the greatest Dallas Maverick or not has already started, kickstarted by his head coach Jason Kidd saying if he won a championship, there's a path for it.

One of Kidd's former teammates, who was also on that 2011 NBA Championship team, says to calm those conversations down.

JJ Barea, the X-factor of The Finals against the Heat in 2011, appeared on FanDuelTV's "Run It Back" podcast and was asked whether or not Doncic could surpass Dirk Nowitzki as the greatest Maverick ever.

READ MORE: Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis Suffered 'Rare' Injury in Game 2 Against Mavericks

Is Luka Doncic the best Mavs player of all-time?@jjbareapr: “No… Dirk Nowitzki is an all-time Mav forever. There’s no way.” pic.twitter.com/yBVRgirg7t

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) June 11, 2024

"No... Dirk Nowitzki is an all-time Mav forever. There's no way," Barea exclaimed. "Luka could be the best player in the world forever and Dirk would still be there, the best Maverick of all time... He made the Mavericks what it is."

What Barea says rings true. While the Mavericks had some success in the 80s, they were pretty bad for most of the 90s and it was Nowitzki who made the city of Dallas really fall in love with the Mavs. He carried the Mavs on his back through most of the 2000s even after Steve Nash left for the Phoenix Suns, winning an MVP in 2007, and finally breaking through for the championship in 2011. The pieces around him changed but Nowitzki was the one constant.

Doncic has had an incredible start to his career with a Finals appearance and another appearance in the Western Conference Finals. The talent around him hasn't always been great, but he's made five straight All-NBA First Teams, more than Nowitzki has in total in his career.

Barea was able to play with both of these Mavericks greats, playing in Dallas from 2007-2011 before a small stint with the Minnesota Timberwolves, then he came back home to Dallas in 2014 and would be there until he retired in 2020. He was a great veteran for Doncic and famously made the Slovenian laugh on the bench for acting like he was going to check in the game.

If Doncic were to become the greatest Maverick, it would start with winning a champion, something that'll be hard to do this year as they look to overcome 2-0 deficit against the Boston Celtics.

READ MORE: Mavericks' Luka Doncic Receiving Pain-Killing Injections During NBA Finals; Status for Game 3

Stick with MavericksGameday for more coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the NBA Finals

Follow MavericksGameday on Twitter and Austin Veazey on Twitter