Just three more wins and Luka Doncic would have been an NBA Champion. While this memory will always haunt him, he did have one hell of a season despite the Finals loss. With fans initially doubting how Luka would work alongside Kyrie, he proved everyone wrong by leading his team to the last lap for the first time since they last won the title in 2011. Moreover, his performance earned the Slovenian sensation a special honor and put him in the same ranks with Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki.

No one was happier than the Mavs’ minority owner, Mark Cuban, as the community joined in to celebrate Luka’s accomplishment. He received the amazing news even before the event began as he bagged the ESPY for the Best NBA Player of the Year. Beating fellow nominees Jayson Tatum, SGA, and Nikola Jokic, Doncic joined the elite company of Dirk Nowitzki, as they’re the two Mavs players to only ever take this award home. Obviously, Dirk won the same award for his dominant performance in 2011.

Just like Luka did this year, Dirk also led the Mavs to the Finals before he won this award. Dirk was able to finish the job as he beat a LeBron James-led Miami Heat in one of the biggest upsets in NBA Finals history to win his and the franchise’s first ever title. Like a true leader, DN averaged 27.7 points along with over 8 rebounds during those playoffs and was arguably the best in that post season.

On the other hand, despite missing out on the ring, Luka was arguably the most lethal offensive player this year. With his versatile skillset, he somehow managed to average 33.9 points and even led the league in scoring. Many even believed that he deserved to win the MVP title more than anyone else! Hopefully, the ESPY award will help ease the pain for Luka and his fans.

What did Mark Cuban and the fans say about Luka Doncic’s victory?

Fans were left in a frenzy and rejoiced on social media. The first one in line was Luka’s pal Mark Cuban, who wrote, “Congrats @luka7doncic!!!” Having been a part of the franchise for over two decades, the Shark has experienced the era of Dirk too. While the latter is undeniably a Dallas legend, Mark made a bold claim about Doncic. “Yes. No disrespect to Dirk. Dirk knows I love him to death… Dirk will be the first one to tell you Luka’s better,” he had said on Draymond Green’s pod, earlier this year.

Meanwhile, fans also acknowledged that Luka’s win was “well deserved” and claimed that he’ll surely reach the mountaintop next year. Adding a sharpshooter like Klay Thompson to the roster, they’ve improved significantly on offense and the Splash Brother could be the key to get them over the line! Other free agency additions like Quentin Grimes and Naji Marshall will make up for the lack of defense and provide more length and depth to the team in the playoffs.

“Make it make sense!”, one fan was just confused as to how Luka won the ESPY for Best Player of the Year when he was snubbed for the MVP title. With Jokic taking that trophy home, many were unhappy, however, it should be noted that the ESPYS take the entire season into consideration, including the playoffs. On the other hand, the MVP is only for the regular season. And Luka clearly outplayed every other candidate in his run to the Finals!

One netizen was just happy to see Luka join the elite company of Dirk Nowitzki. Although they come from different eras, Doncic was lucky enough to have DN as his veteran leader during his rookie season. And the two became good friends! More importantly, even Dirk knew at first glimpse that Luka was something special, “I mean, what a talent, what a player… I never thought he would be this good. It seems like he’s getting better year to year.”

Despite taking the silverware home, the memory of the Finals loss against Boston will likely still haunt Luka as this fan pointed out. While he balled out on the offensive end, his lack of defense was exposed in the series against the Jays. And until he fixes it alongside Kyrie Irving and the rest of the boys and leads Dallas to another title, the critics will continue to hold that against him.

Regardless, tonight belongs to Luka Doncic as he finally got recognition for the hard work he’s put in all year.