Mark Cuban Speaks on Luka Doncic Being 'Better' Than Dirk Nowitzki

Mavs minority owner Mark Cuban described Luka Doncic as already being a "better" player than Dirk Nowitzki.

Mar 31, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) drives with the ball as / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has managed to reach incredible heights in his NBA career. He's already earned four All-NBA First-Team nominations with a strong possibility of making it five in a row. He's averaging 34.0 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.1 rebounds. With him setting new records on a seemingly nightly basis, he's already emerged into historic debates.

Mavs minority owner Mark Cuban appeared on a recent episode of Draymond Green's podcast, "The Draymond Green Show." One topic of discussion was whether Doncic is already a better player than Hall of Fame member Dirk Nowitzki, who famously led the franchise to its first and only NBA championship in 2011.

“Yes. No disrespect to Dirk. Dirk knows I love him to death… Dirk will be the first one to tell you Luka's better,” Cuban said.

Mar 31, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) drives with the ball as / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Mavs coach Jason Kidd shared a similar opinion as Cuban, placing Doncic in the same category as the likes of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant.

“You can’t take this young man for granted,” Kidd said of Doncic on 97.1 The Freak's "The Downbeat" earlier this season. “He’s better than Dirk. He’s in the atmosphere of MJ, the best to ever do it — LeBron, Kobe. So just to appreciate what this young man is doing at the age of 24 is something that Dallas has never seen.”

There is a difference between the "best" and "greatest" in these types of debates. The resume Nowitzki achieved makes him the unquestoined greatest player in Mavs history. However, debating the peak of Nowitzki's impact to what Doncic is accomplishing currently creates a separate conversation.

Doncic will surely need to win both the MVP and a championship to enter the conversation of being the greatest player in Mavs history. Given his impact already, it wouldn't be surprising to see both of those feats be reached.