Jason Kidd played with Dirk Nowitzki and coaches Luka Dončić, so there are few people in the world better suited to determine which is the greatest Dallas Mavericks player in franchise history.
And he believes the younger Dončić has a chance to catch the Hall of Famer.
“Yes,” Kidd told ESPN’s Malika Andrews and Richard Jefferson on Wednesday when asked if winning a championship in this year’s NBA Finals would give Dončić the opportunity to eventually play his way into being considered the best Maverick of all time.
For now, Nowitzki has the clear-cut crown.
According to Basketball Reference, he is the only Dallas player with a higher total than 70.3 win shares. Not only does he top the list, he is way ahead of the pack with 206.3 win shares.
Dončić is seventh on that list with 51.2 win shares, but he is also just 25 years old and finishing his sixth season in the league. His resume already includes a Rookie of the Year, a scoring title, five All-NBA selections and five All-Star nods, and he is just four wins over the Boston Celtics away from adding a title to the mix.
Nowitzki won one championship during his 21 seasons with Dallas and will forever be a franchise icon as the 2006-07 MVP, a 12-time All-NBA selection and a 14-time All-Star.
Catching him will require sustained excellence from Dončić, but he is off to an excellent start and could already match the all-time great in rings if he delivers against the Celtics.