The love affair with Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic continues. His coach Jason Kidd has already said he’s in the same atmosphere as Bron, Kobe and Michael Jordan, and “better than Dirk Nowitzki ever was.”
The accolades and praise continue to roll in, despite the fact that his team is only a seventh seed (35-24) at this point of the season. Luka’s been an offensive nightmare, averaging a league-high and Jordanesque 34.3 points per game.
With no championship hardware or even an NBA Finals appearance to truly assess him as an all-time great, Luka has managed to elevate in stature, and now one former NBA player, Rony Seikaly, is putting Doncic ahead of the GWOAT (Greatest White Player Of All Time) Larry Bird.
Rony Seikaly Says Luka Doncic Is Larry Bird and Pete Maravich Combined
Seikaly, a former Miami Heat center, says Luka is so dominant that you can’t compare him to just one player. Seikaly, the 1990 NBA Most Improved Player, thinks that Doncic is a mix of two of the most influential and iconic white players of all-time.
“He’s Larry Bird 2.0…Luka Doncic is a more modern version of the way Larry Bird played. I’m talking about him as a basketball player and a pure talent, not in terms of wins and championships… I think Luka is a combination of Bird and Pete Maravich.”
Seikaly says he’s that and then some.
“Luka Doncic is one in a million,” said Seikaly in an interview with Talkbasket. “I think that he’s the best white player to ever play the game, regardless of being European. Period.”
Larry Bird is one of the greatest players to ever do it and one of the most popular and transcendent players in NBA history. He was also born in French Lick Indiana, the heart of middle America.
A common discussion surrounds Luka’s ranking among the best European players to ever grace the league. The growing consensus is that he’s already at the top of that mountain at the tender age of 25.
Luka Better Than Bird?
Bird wasn’t the fastest player and didn’t seem to have tremendous physical attributes, but he was insanely skilled, intelligent and had a nasty streak that drove his winning ways. Luka’s the same in many ways.
Bird came into the league, won Rookie of the Year, and the Celtics improved by 32 games in his first season. Eventually he would go onto win three titles and lead the Celtics dynasty against Magic Johnson and the Lakers on numerous occasions.
Together, Bird and Magic helped transform the NBA into a huge business, an appealing brand and must-see sports TV. Both Bird and Pistol Pete Maravich were legendary shooters who could hit from any spot on the court, similar to Luka.
They were methodical but creative assassins who could also provide flair, despite their lunch pail appearance. Luka uses his 6-foot-7 frame to destroy smaller guards and passes like a refined floor general.
If you pull up enough highlights, you’ll see him bomb away like Bird, make acrobatic shots like Pistol and talk junk, which is something nobody did better than Bird.
Pistol let his hooping do the talking. He was busy breaking every traditional basketball law, a one-man circus. Like Luka, he never met a shot he didn’t like.
The similarities are surely there. Luka represents the evolution of the white NBA player. How couldn’t other international players such as Siekaly, who starred at Syracuse in the golden days of the Big East, not think highly of him.
Seikaly also played with some of the most talented guys in hoops history during his 12 NBA season (1988-1999) in the heart of the MJ era. He also saw prime Magic and Bird and the birth of Kobe..
Throughout that time, Seikaly, from Beirut, Lebanon, saw plenty of international stars enter the NBA. So, he’s witnessed and competed against the best of the best; from Toni Kukoc to Draven Petrovic and Detlef Schrempf, you name them.
Luka Is GOAT Of European Players
Seikaly acknowledged the stars of the past, but none, he says, has risen to the top of the game like Luka is positioning himself to do.
“When I heard about Luka Doncic playing for Real Madrid,” added Seikaly. “My first thought was: ‘He’s playing in Europe.’ When he won the Euroleague with Madrid, I was like: ‘Wow, this kid is really good! I wonder what he will do in the NBA.’ Then he came in and started playing exactly like he was playing in Europe — and even better. The game comes very easy to him.”
Winning a championship in the NBA isn’t easy for anybody, but Luka’s 73-point outburst earlier this season is proof that he’s emerging as an iconic bucket-getter. His defense still leaves much to be desired.
Larry Legend wasn’t a supreme defender, but his hustle game was crazy, and he made defensive stops when needed and he never was accused of loafing or taking plays off. He also was a force on the boards.
It’s clear that Luka already owns Europe and the hearts of those who have skin in the game when it comes to promoting his greatness. He ranks high among NBA superstars, not because of his color or nationality, but because of his insane ability.
But since Seikaly brought it up, once Luka wins a title or two, he might surpass Bird as the greatest white player ever. He still needs a signature moment or narrative.
