For every NBA player, the number displayed on the back of their jersey holds a special meaning. Michael Jordan’s iconic ‘23’ came after he split the ‘45’ number that he and his brother Larry used to wear during their high school days. The number ‘35’ that was on the back of Kevin Durant for years paid tribute to his first-ever coach. Since the beginning of his NBA career, 25-year-old Luka Doncic has proudly displayed the Number ‘77’ on the back of his Dallas Mavericks Jersey. It wasn’t until years later that he went on to tell the reason behind the same.

In July 2021, Luka Doncic revealed that the story behind his ‘77’ number started with Vassilis Spanoulis. Nicknamed “Kill Bill,” he is a renowned sportsman of Greek origin who played as a professional basketball player for over 22 years. Today, he serves as the coach of Greece’s men’s national basketball team. The former player alternated between six different numbers during his playing days, amongst which was the Number 7.

“He was a really big time for my career,” said Doncic during the interview. “Spanoulis was my idol since I was little. I was watching him. It was kind of sad seeing him retiring.” Doncic wore the Number 7 during his three-year career with Real Madrid to commemorate his idol and celebrate his legacy. After getting drafted into the Dallas Mavericks, however, he couldn’t continue with the number since the same was worn by power forward Dwight Powell. Therefore, he decided to adjust and add another 7 alongside the original one.

The number ‘77’ seems to have been a boon for the player and the franchise. Luka Doncic was the perfect replacement for Dirk Nowitzki, another European player who took the Mavericks to new heights. Over his six-year career, the Slovenian led the franchise to establish new win records while breaking a few individual records by himself. The same was on display during the current season, as he recorded numerous triple-doubles in the regular season and the playoffs. Thanks to the offensive prowess put forward by him, Kyrie Irving, and others, the Mavericks have reached the NBA Finals for the first time since the 2010-11 season. That season also marked the last time that the Dallas men were champions.

Did Luka Doncic steal the Number ‘77’ from a younger player?

Luka Doncic has had his fair share of on-court rivalries on the NBA paint. However, the same has even been displayed on the international level. In 2022, an Estonian player named Kerr Kriisa made headlines after getting into a verbal altercation with the NBA star during the FIBA World Cup. In a statement, he would state that “it’s pretty easy to get into his (Doncic) head.” Now, the player is back in the news for making an unproven claim about Doncic’s jersey.

A couple of days later, Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope appeared on an episode of a local radio show. During the same, he discussed Kriisa, who recently transitioned to the University of Kentucky and its college basketball team. He revealed how, during a photo shoot, the player expressed his wish to wear the adorn number ‘77’ on his Wildcats jersey. It was after this that things started to get interesting.

“My GA actually made the comment, said, ‘Oh, you’re a huge Luka Doncic fan?’ And he was like, ‘No! I had this number way before Luka started wearing it! He took it from me!’” revealed Mark Pope. “Honest to goodness, that just happened not too long ago, with no hesitation. ‘No, Luka took my number, man. What are you talking about?’” Coach Pope himself enjoyed the remark, claiming that it proved that Kerr Krissa would be someone really “special” for them.

Luka Doncic did not choose to comment on this accusation. After all, he revealed why he wore ‘77’ even before Krissa’s alleged accusation.

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