Yet to those who didn’t live through the Dončić experience — the front office executives, coaches and scouts who would love nothing more than to get their hands on a player of his ilk — all these justifications for the trade simply don’t compute. This is the NBA, where ego management has always been part of the equation and choir boys are hard to come by. Talent isn’t the end-all-be-all, but Dončić’s type — the transcendent kind — is so rare that it should be given every opportunity to be maximized. That’s how it was for the likes of Allen Iverson, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Bill Walton and Larry Bird — all elite players 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