Luka Doncic has never shied away from paying respect to the legends who paved the way, and in a recent interview, he made it crystal clear where he stands in the debate over the greatest shooting guard of all time.
Question: “Manu Ginobili or Reggie Miller?”
Luka Doncic: “Ginobili.”
Question: “Ginobili or Iverson?”
Luka Doncic: “Iverson.”
Question: “Iverson or Ray Allen?”
Luka Doncic: “Iverson.”
Question: “Iverson or Tracy McGrady?”
Luka Doncic: “Iverson.”
Question: “Iverson or Dwyane Wade?”
Luka Doncic: “Iverson.”
Question: “Iverson or Dražen Petrovic?”
Luka Doncic: “Oh, I still gotta take Iverson.”
Question: “Iverson or Michael Jordan?”
Luka Doncic: “Michael Jordan.”
Question: “Michael Jordan or Vince Carter?”
Luka Doncic: “I mean, that’s it. Michael Jordan.”
Question: “Michael Jordan or Klay Thompson?”
Luka Doncic: “Michael Jordan.”
Question: “Jordan or Jerry West?”
Luka Doncic: “Michael Jordan.”
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During a fun but revealing rapid-fire Q&A, Doncic methodically picked his way through a series of legendary guards, choosing Allen Iverson over names like Ray Allen, Tracy McGrady, Dwyane Wade, and even European icon Drazen Petrovic. But when it came to the final question. Iverson or Michael Jordan, there was no hesitation
Asked again if Jordan stood above Vince Carter, Klay Thompson, and Jerry West, the answer remained the same each time.
While Doncic’s admiration for Allen Iverson stood out during the segment, choosing the Answer over nearly every iconic shooting guard of the last three decades, his pick of Jordan signaled what many have long known: to Luka, and to most of the basketball world, there’s Jordan, and then there’s everyone else.
Doncic has picked Jordan as his GOAT in the past, and his answer here only reinforces that stance.
It also carries a bit more personal significance given his affiliation with the Jordan Brand. Doncic is one of the faces of the iconic line, and he’s been seen at multiple Jordan Brand events in recent years, including a recent party where he posed alongside fellow brand athletes like Bam Adebayo.
The camaraderie, the legacy, and the shared identity with the brand clearly mean something to him.
That reverence is genuine. Doncic wasn’t simply giving a politically correct answer because of a sponsorship. His deep basketball IQ and respect for history often come through in interviews, and this segment only confirmed that he’s studied the game closely.
Iverson may have been one of Luka’s childhood heroes, flashy, fearless, and impossibly cool, but Jordan represents a tier that few can touch. The rings, the dominance, the killer instinct, everything that defines the standard of greatness in basketball, Jordan had it.
It’s also worth noting that Doncic just signed a massive three-year, $165 million extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, positioning himself as the face of the franchise’s future.
Luka may not pattern his game directly after Jordan, but the mentality, the desire to dominate, to lead, and to win, is something he clearly values. And by, publicly acknowledging Jordan as the greatest to ever do it at the two-guard spot, Doncic isn’t just recognizing history. He’s declaring the standard.
And with the way he’s performing, he might one day find himself being named in these same conversations. For now, though, Luka Doncic is chasing greatness and chasing ghosts.
