Before Luka Doncic was picked, former Mavericks player James Johnson said that Goran Dragic had alerted colleagues on the Miami Heat of his presence.
On Udonis Haslem’s podcast, “The OGs Show,” Indiana Pacers forward James Johnson talked about how Goran Dragic forewarned Miami Heat teammates about Luka Doncic’s potential to become an all-time great when he entered the NBA. Doncic, a rookie, had a difficult start, but Johnson would see Dragic’s prophecy come to pass live.
“Do you recall the Miami Dragon game we used to play? He was predicting that Luka will be among the greatest if he was picked. I said, “Yes, exactly.” What is his height? He is now comparing himself to me.
“He didn’t have any strong games at the four when he came down and Rick had him playing there at the time. We conversed with Dragon once more, asking, “I thought your mans was nice, what’s good?” “Nah, he’s nice, he’s just not playing his right position,” he said. Rick once positioned him at the one. The dude lost it! had like four straight games with a triple-double and 30 points. “Hey, your boy is a maestro,” I said.
When Doncic arrived in the NBA at the age of 17, he was considered a basketball prodigy after winning the EuroLeague. Although many doubted his potential to succeed in the NBA, Dragic, a fellow Slovenian, consistently insisted that Doncic will go down as one of the all-time greats.
At the age of 25, Luka has already established a career worthy of the Hall of Fame. In six seasons, he has been selected to five consecutive All-NBA First Teams and five All-Star teams. With absurd averages of 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists, he won the scoring championship in the previous season and was named the 2019 Rookie of the Year. He also placed second in the MVP poll.
Last season, Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals when most predicted they would not make it past the first or second round. Since he was a little boy, Dragic has seen Doncic dominate basketball and encouraged his growth as a mentor.
Goran Dragic Boldly Said Luka Doncic Would Be The Best Player In The World In A 2017 Interview
Not only was Dragic talking about Doncic’s magnificence with his Miami Heat colleagues at the time, but he was also adamantly declaring in a live interview that the two had guided Slovenia to a historic 2017 EuroBasket championship.
In a few years, he will surpass all other players in Europe, I promise. In the NBA as well. He is an innate winner. I’m not making this up. I’m quite delighted for him since he already has a ton of medals and prizes. He’s going to be among the greatest in the world, I promise.
Doncic has validated every part of Dragic’s prediction. The season Dragic stated this, he led Real Madrid to a championship and won Final Four MVP, making him the best player in Europe. The next year, he was selected in the NBA draft.
As a rookie, Doncic was named to the All-NBA First Team when he upset the title-favorite Clippers in six games during the first round of the playoffs, putting up some of the all-time best numbers in a playoff debut series. Many had thought that the Mavericks would tank their way into the playoffs. James Johnson was a member of the team during that exceptional year.
Currently ranked as one of the three finest players in the NBA, his only missing achievements at age 25 are an NBA Championship and league MVP.
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