Dirk Nowitzki Coached Up His Rising Stars Team By Telling Them Not To Play Like Luka Doncic

Dirk Nowitzki and Kyrie Irving faced off as coaches in the Mtn Dew Ice Rising Stars Game, with Dirk taking the helm of Team World, which included his Mavs teammate and presumed Rookie of the Year, Luka Doncic.

There’s rarely much in the way of actual coaching happening in the Rising Stars Game, which, to be honest, is barely a basketball game as it typically devolves into a mini-dunk contest and three-point shootout. However, before the game both Dirk and Kyrie offered some pre-game motivation to their teams in the locker rooms.

While Kyrie effectively told them to have fun and score lots of points, Dirk decided to go with his typical dry humor approach in addressing his team. The future Hall of Famer told his team to play together and share the ball, then took a light-hearted jab at Doncic, forcing the rookie to nearly spit out his drink.

“I want us to share the ball a bit and not have one guy dribble it 20 times and hoist something up, like Luka does with the Mavs.”

It’s a pretty hilarious line and also a request that will almost assuredly fall on deaf ears as, inevitably, the game will involve lots of iso and guys going 1-on-1 with their Team USA counterparts. It’s clear Nowitzki was just joking with Doncic, but he does have a penchant for playing iso ball to create room for his patented stepback jumper. So, while funny, there’s a bit of truth behind it. In a loving way, of course.