The city of Dallas is preparing for what should be a hotly contested event as Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers play in the American Airlines Center for the first time since February’s ridiculous trade.
Doncic had a massive impact on the Dallas Mavericks in his six-and-a-half seasons with the team, making five First-Team All-NBAs, advancing to the Western Conference Finals in 2022, and the NBA Finals in 2024. He wasn’t in Dallas long but that still raises the question, was it enough to have his jersey retired one day?
“I mean, yeah,” Dwight Powell told RG when he was asked if Doncic’s jersey should be retired. “That’s not obviously my decision, but yeah.” He said earlier in the interview, “He did an amazing job of creating opportunities for everybody around him, and I was fortunate enough to be one of those targets. So, we learned very quickly how to play together, but it’s fairly easy to play with a guy like that… Some quick convos early on and understanding he’s a very special player and getting space to operate and understand teams are gonna do some creative strategies to try and throw him off his game, but just to make yourself available and let him be great.”
Powell is the team’s longest-tenured Maverick, by far, having been on the team since coming over in the Rajon Rondo trade in 2014, so his voice goes a long way. He’s still a valued voice in the locker room and within the fanbase, so hopefully this will mend some fences.
If this were to come about after Doncic’s playing days are over, it would have to be once the new ownership group moves on from the franchise. Patrick Dumont has bad-mouthed Doncic at nearly every public opportunity, so this could become a Kevin Garnett-Timberwolves situation if the ownership doesn’t change soon, as Garnett has wanted nothing to do with the TWolves with Glen Taylor as the owner (he just sold the team). But Mavericks fans wanted to see a Doncic statue one day; a jersey in the rafters may have to do.
