READ MORE: Can Anthony Davis carry Mavericks until Kyrie Irving returns?<\/a><\/p>\n Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic following a press conference announcing the signing of a 3-year, $165 million contract extension at UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images \/ Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images<\/p>\n “I\u2019ve been around the game for a long time, and there are very few special players that will show you some things that you\u2019ve never seen before. And Luka was one of those players. I would always call him Luka Magic because he reminded me of a European version of Magic Johnson. <\/p>\n “This new age, Luka is his own player, but Magic was the older generation of somebody with a smile that was the killer. They\u2019d come out there and destroy you, win games, but with a big smile. He\u2019s just such a joy to watch, and I love watching him. Nothing but great things to say about Luka.\u201d<\/p>\n Chandler has spent time as a player development coach with the Mavs for the last few seasons, playing a big role in the growth of players like Dereck Lively II. So he saw up close what Doncic does in practice, and the “killer” he can be in games, like his iconic game-winner over Rudy Gobert in the 2024 Western Conference Finals.<\/p>\n Former Dallas Mavericks player Tyson Chandler during warm ups before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Indiana Pacers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images \/ Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Tyson Chandler didn’t have as good of a career as he could’ve had, but he still had a great one. The early portion of his career was muddied by the Chicago Bulls taking him and Eddy Curry, two high-school seven-footers, within the first four picks of the 2001 NBA Draft. Those teams were just too young and had no leadership. even if they were talented. <\/p>\n He started to find his footing with Chris Paul on the New Orleans Hornets, blossoming into a rim-protecting lob threat. He was nearly traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they negated the trade after failing Chandler on a physical. He instead ended up in Dallas, where he played a key role in beating OKC in the 2011 playoffs. <\/p>\n Chandler also won Defensive Player of the Year in 2012 with the New York Knicks and made All-NBA Third Team. He then evolved into a key veteran presence in the locker room, which led to his post-playing presence as a player development coach. <\/p>\n READ MORE: Cooper Flagg doesn’t need to save Mavericks yet<\/a><\/p>\n Stick with\u00a0MavericksGameday\u00a0for more\u00a0FREE coverage of the Dallas Mavericks<\/a>\u00a0throughout the offseason<\/p>\n Follow MavericksGameday on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and Austin Veazey on\u00a0Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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