"Not obviously my decision" - Mavericks center doesn’t hold back on Luka Doncic deserving jersey retirement honors in Dallas
Luka Doncic may not be a Dallas Maverick anymore, but the Slovenian epitomized the team and was the star of the franchise for close to seven full seasons. Despite the franchise's puzzling decision to move away from Doncic, fans have been left pondering whether he deserves a jersey retirement from the franchise down the line. Former teammate Dwight Powell seems to believe he does.
No other NBA player has played more games on the same team with Luka Doncic as Dwight Powell has. Wednesday's fixture, which sees Luka's Lakers visit Dallas, would be the first time Powell and Doncic face off against each other at the American Airlines Center.
Ahead of the game, Powell expressed his views on Doncic in a feature published by 'RG' on Sunday. He was asked about whether the Mavericks should retire Luka Doncic's #77 in the future, and he responded:
"I mean, yeah. That's not obviously my decision, but yeah" said the Canadian center.
The Slovenian phenom finished in the top 10 for MVP voting in five of his six full seasons with the Mavericks and guided them to their first NBA Finals in the post-Dirk Nowitzki era in 2024.
Dwight Powell addressed the Luka Doncic trade and referred to their new acquisitions as "competitors"
Losing a beloved teammate to a trade might hurt, but it is the nature of the business of the NBA and Powell appears to have accepted the new reality for the Dallas Mavericks.
The Canadian, who is the longest-tenured active player on the Mavericks, was positive and expressed his excitement for the team's growth together in its new form.
"Competitors. They're here for the right reasons, and they want to help us be successful. ... I'm excited to get everybody kind of get the chemistry going, and I think we've seen glimpses and I think we'll continue to see more. Just excited for everybody to continue to grow together." said Powell about Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and the future of the team.
The Mavericks currently find themselves in a fight to make the play-in tournament, having been plagued by injuries to key players ever since the Luka Doncic trade went down.
They are currently ninth in the West at 38-41, tied with the Sacramento Kings in 10th and two games ahead of the 11th-place Phoenix Suns.