While a futuristic trade to L.A. complicates Luka’s legacy, four championship icons from the 2011 squad remain the true priority for the next rafters ceremony in Dallas.
DALLAS - I have a saying around here when it comes to Dallas Cowboys information that fans are wise to get your info from "Frisco, not Bristol.''
The Dallas Mavs are not, like the Cowboys, based in Frisco. And this national media outlet that listed all retired NBA jersey numbers while suggesting/predicted Luka Dončić as the next honoree isn't based in Connecticut, as ESPN is.
But the same point resonates: You need to really know the Mavs to talk intelligently about who in franchise history is iconic enough to have that jersey hanging up in the rafters.
And you, sir or madam, have come to the right place.
As it stands now? The Mavs have recognized NBA greatness in general by having retired Celtics icon Bill Russell's No. 6 (a league-wide move) and by doing the same following the tragic death of the Lakers' No. 24 Kobe Bryant.
Additionally, Dallas' other retired numbers are: 12 for Derek Harper, 15 for Brad Davis, 22 for Rolando Blackman, 24 for Mark Aguirre and 41 Dirk Nowitzki.
So ...
Who should be next?
The list from the national media outlet claims that it should be Luka ... which we view as a romantic-but-misguided notion.
Consider ...
*Luka plays for the Lakers, not the Mavs.
*He's 27, so he might be a decade from himself retiring.
*As beloved as he is in Dallas - and he retains an affection for DFW even after that boneheaded trade to L.A. - the people who would oversee such a decision will be the same exact people who traded him away in the first place.
Awkward much?
Doncic did some incredible stuff here. He earned five consecutive All-NBA First Team honors in Dallas. He led Dallas into the 2024 NBA Finals, which ended up in a Boston win.
And then came that trade, on the night of Feb. 1, 2025, which netted Dalals just one first-round pick (!) and also cost Dončić his eligibility for a $345 million supermax extension.
Time heals (most) wounds. Heck, maybe Luka ends up back in a Dallas uniform!
But a real list, from someone who has been covering the Mavs since 1990? I'll do it in numerical order ...
Shawn Marion, No. 0. A wildly underrated talent despite being a four-time All-Star and a key two-way standout on the 2011 NBA title team.
Jason Kidd, No. 2. A Hall-of-Fame point guard who served as a team leader on the 2011 NBA champions. ... and who served as the head coach of the NBA Finals team in 2024.
Michael Finley, No. 4. A two-time All-Star and a foundational player in the Dirk-led franchise turnaround and for the last decade a member of the front office.
Jason Terry, No. 31. An all-time great Sixth Man of the Year, an all-time great 3-point marksman and an NBA champion in 2011.
Those four guys have earned some level of immortality around here ... and way before we ever get to Luka in the rafters, their names at least deserve to be in the conversation.
Maybe not in New York or wherever. But definitely in Dallas.
