The Lakers just got bounced out of the playoffs—and Luka Doncic went with them. It’s easy for critics to jump the gun, claiming the trade didn’t pan out. But here’s the twist: the Mavericks didn’t even make the playoffs without Luka. Remember when Dallas thought they’d thrive post-Doncic? Yeah, that plan crumbled fast. “I believe that defence wins championships,” Mavericks GM Nico Harrison had claimed. “Getting an All-Defensive centre and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance.” Clearly, that formula didn’t work out as expected. But that’s not the only reason.
Harrison seemed to adopt that Kobe Bryant-style Mamba filter when judging Luka—eyeing him through the lens of legendary discipline. Doncic’s conditioning and off-court routines supposedly didn’t match that gold standard. According to Harrison, Luka wasn’t durable enough to lead. But then, Michael Jordan enters the chat. And with him? A cold beer and a hot stat line. On All the Smoke, MJ’s ex-teammate Craig Hodges dropped a gem that shook up the whole narrative.
It turns out that MJ didn’t just party; he thrived through it. “We’re leaving, shoot around and we’re on the bus and MJ, like man, drop me off here and drop him off at the bar,” Hodges recalled. “He said he’s gonna have some beers.” Later, Jordan shows up in sweats, reeking of beer but full of swagger. “Got thirty and [a] half, all right? Going through warm-ups. ‘Man, I’m seeing three rims. I’m gonna shoot at the one in the middle, okay? That’s hard.’” And still? He torched the floor like it was nothing.
Naturally, Matt Barnes couldn’t stay quiet. That whole Dallas narrative about Luka’s off-court life? It rubbed him the wrong way. “That’s the kind of s–t, not that, but it bothers me what Dallas’s management is trying to portray Luka as. Like we aren’t grown men that can handle what we need to do,” Barnes fired back. “Like if you knew what motherf–kers was really doing and still going out there being professionals, like shut that shit up.”
It’s important to note that the criticism of Luka isn’t necessarily about condemning his lifestyle, but rather questioning its sustainability for long-term peak performance. The concern, however valid or not, is whether a different approach could unlock an even higher level of consistency and durability, especially in the playoffs, where the physical and mental demands are amplified.
Even Hodges agreed with Barnes on this one. “They can play it off like they don’t [know],” he said. “You’re investing to know what these cats are doing… it’s just a matter that now you want to use that as a means of the reason you got rid of him.” So in the end, it’s not about beers or hookah—it’s about the narrative. And sometimes, that narrative just needs a Jordan-style reality check.
Michael Jordan’s off-court flex that Luka Doncic might just relate to
Just when you thought Michael Jordan stories couldn’t get any wilder, along comes NHL legend Jeremy Roenick with a tale that sounds more like a movie than real life. During a chat on the McNeil & Parkins Show, Roenick shared how he once teed off with MJ back in the early ’90s—yep, right in the middle of a Bulls season—and what followed was absolute madness.
Apparently, Jordan had no plans to take it easy before game night. Roenick said MJ hit him up early and they played 18 holes at Sunset Ridge near Chicago. “I beat him for a couple thousand [dollars] and got ready to leave,” Roenick recalled. But MJ wasn’t done. It was just 10 a.m. and the Bulls were set to face the Cavaliers later that night. Instead of heading to rest, Jordan goes, ‘No, let’s go play again.’
Now here’s where it gets crazy. After another 18 holes, and what Roenick claims was an afternoon full of beers, MJ headed straight to the stadium. Roenick joked, “I’m gonna call my bookie… I’m putting on Cleveland.” But Jordan wasn’t having it. “I’ll bet you that we’ll win by 20 points and I have more than 40 [points],” he shot back. And guess what? He dropped 52, and they won by 26. All that with around ten Bud Lights in his system.
But that wasn’t just a one-off thing. Even during his 2001 Wizards comeback, MJ had strict drinking rules. “No juice, all straight vodka,” Antoine Walker revealed on the Forgotten Seasons’ podcast. Sugar was off-limits — “we ain’t going to mess these workouts up,” Jordan insisted.
Now the question is, if MJ could dominate after beers and vodka, is Luka getting unfairly criticized for far less? Let us know what you think.
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