Indiana Pacers forward James Johnson discussed how Goran Dragic warned players on the Miami Heat about Luka Doncic coming into the NBA to be an all-time great on Udonis Haslem’s podcast ‘The OGs Show’. Despite a slow start from a rookie Doncic, Johnson would watch Dragic’s prophecy come true in real-time.
“Do you remember when we were playing with the Dragon in Miami? He was telling us when once they drafted Luka that he’s going to be one of the best… I was like, ‘Yeah, right. How tall is he?’ Now he starts measuring him to me”
“He came down and Rick had him playing the four at the time, and he didn’t have no good games at the four. We were talking to Dragon again like, ‘I thought your mans was nice, what’s good?’ He was like, ‘Nah, he’s nice, he just isn’t playing his right position.’ Once Rick put him at the one. That man went wild! Had like four triple-doubles in a row, 30-point games. I was like “Yo, your boy’s a maestro.””
James Johnson & Udonis Haslem on Luka Doncic:
“Goran [Dragic] was like, “He’s going to be one of the best” and I was like “Yeah right”… Once Rick put him at the one. That man went wild! Had like 4 Triple-Doubles in a row. I was like “Yo, your boy’s a maestro””
via @theOGsShow pic.twitter.com/MFVzutmsi7
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) September 11, 2024
Doncic was tipped to be a basketball prodigy when he made his way over to the NBA after dominating the EuroLeague at 17 years old. Many questioned his ability to translate to the NBA, but fellow Slovenian Dragic always maintained that Doncic was going to be an all-time great.
Luka has already put together a Hall of Fame career at the age of 25 years. He’s made five consecutive All-NBA First Team appearances in six seasons along with five All-Star appearances. He was the 2019 Rookie of the Year and finished second in MVP voting last season, winning the scoring title with ridiculous averages of 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists.
Doncic also carried the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season when most didn’t have them coming out of the first or second round. Dragic has seen Doncic dominate basketball since he was a child and fostered his development as a mentor.
Goran Dragic Boldly Said Luka Doncic Would Be The Best Player In The World In A 2017 Interview
Dragic wasn’t just discussing Doncic’s greatness with his Miami Heat teammates at the time, he was boldly proclaiming the same in a live interview after the pair led Slovenia to an unprecedented EuroBasket title in 2017.
“He’s going to be the best player in Europe in a couple of years, trust me on that. In the NBA, too. He’s a born winner. I’m not kidding. He already has a lot of trophies, medals, and I’m really happy for him. Mark my words, he’s going to be one of the best in the whole world.”
Doncic has proven every aspect of what Dragic predicted true. He became the best player in Europe by winning Final Four MVP and leading Real Madrid to a title the season Dragic said this, being drafted into the NBA the next year.
Doncic was All-NBA First Team as a rookie for leading what many assumed to be a tanking Mavericks squad to the Playoffs and pushing the title-favorite Clippers to six games in the first round where Doncic put up some of the greatest Playoff debut series numbers of all time. James Johnson was on the roster for that breakout year.
He’s widely considered one of the three best players in the NBA right now, with a league MVP and NBA Championship being the only accomplishments that elude him at age 25.
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