A running joke in the NBA that has been going on for a while is that the Olympics have provided players with an avenue to look for future teammates in the league.
For instance, Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving bonded with Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan during Team USA stint in the 2016 Olympics. They brought up the idea of playing together. Three years later, the opportunity to execute the plan presented itself when they were free agents in the 2019 offseason, and the Brooklyn Nets had the resources to bring the trio in.
So, this summer, there was an abundance of curiosity about which players were spending a lot of time together.
Windhorst fuels fire of Doncic joining forces with Jokic
During a recent episode of “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” (33:02), the NBA insider shared being asked by people around the league if there were players who latched onto each other during his time with the U.S. men’s national basketball team.
Windhorst went on a tangent, saying the buddies he has been noticing this summer are Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic.
Interestingly, the Dallas Mavericks superstar wasn’t even in Paris after his Slovenian squad was eliminated from the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. While he was probably upset about missing out on the quadrennial event, Mavs fans were able to stop holding their breath because it afforded Doncic more time to recover from his injuries.
It’s unclear where exactly the five-time NBA All-Star has been in recent months, although a video of him enjoying life in his home country has made rounds on social media.
He did make an appearance in compatriot and good friend Goran Dragic’s charity farewell match in their hometown. Jokic was also present, being on the same team as Doncic and wasting no time teasing his fellow Balkan superstar.
At that event, Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki also brought up the possibility of a Luka-Joker team-up in Dallas.
Even though both have shown the desire to play together in the future, a significant hurdle is their admirable loyalty to their respective squads. At present, it’s difficult to see Doncic leaving Dallas and Jokic deciding not to re-sign with the Denver Nuggets several seasons from now.
However, anything can happen in the following months and years. The Mavs look poised to return to the NBA Finals this coming campaign and continue contending beyond 2025. Maybe the three-time MVP will realize that his best bet to add another ring to his collection is coming to Dallas and joining forces with “Luka Magic.”
