But to those that didn’t dwell by means of the Dončić expertise — the entrance workplace executives, coaches and scouts who would love nothing greater than to get their palms on a participant of his ilk — all these justifications for the commerce merely don’t compute. That is the NBA, the place ego administration has all the time been a part of the equation and choir boys are onerous to return by. Expertise isn’t the end-all-be-all, however Dončić’s sort — the transcendent type — is so uncommon that it must be given each alternative to be maximized. That’s the way it was for the likes of Allen Iverson, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Invoice Walton and Larry Hen — all elite gamers who had their warts. That list is undeniably long, with very few able to meet the sort of standard set by Bryant or his idol, Michael Jordan (who had off-court issues of his own). As one league source put it while discussing these sorts of players, “You manage.” -via New York Times / February 26, 2025