The Luka Doncic-Jason Kidd relationship was never without tension. Reports even linked the former Dallas coach to the decision to trade the superstar, though he later denied having a role in it. Now, a former Mavericks assistant and close ally of the Slovenian has revealed what it was really like behind the scenes.
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Igor Kokoškov made a sharp distinction between Kidd the player and Kidd the coach. He called Kidd one of the greatest point guards ever and praised the Princeton offense. But his assessment changed completely when discussing his experience working under him.
“I don’t have a good experience with him, nor do I have a high opinion of him off the court or as a head coach,” Kokoškov said on the “X&O’s CHAT” podcast. “And it’s fine for people to know that. Not just as my opinion, but because he generally walked into some really gifted teams. So yeah, I don’t hold him in high regard. Perhaps the best illustration is that after working one year with Jason Kidd—a year where I sat down with him and said, ‘Look, I have a history with Luka Doncic and I know him well. We’ve worked together before. And that can certainly help the team. But I am not here working for Luka Doncic. I am working for you. This is your team.’ However, he could never really get over it.
“It was something in his head, part of his personal issues, which I didn’t want to get involved in. After that first year in Dallas, once the season wrapped up, I got a call from Steve Nash inviting me to join Brooklyn. I remember thinking, ‘I just worked for the worst guy in the NBA, and now I have a call from the best guy in the NBA.’ The decision couldn’t have been easier.”
That criticism carries extra weight because Kokoškov had a unique connection to Luka Doncic. He coached the teenage star on Slovenia’s national team before joining Dallas, helping lead the country to its first EuroBasket championship in 2017.
Years later, Kokoškov was sitting on the Mavericks’ bench between Kidd and Sean Sweeney, working closely with the same player he had helped develop internationally. And according to the former Mavs assistant coach, that history became a problem.
The Mavericks had a clear reason for bringing Kokoškov to Dallas. He coached Slovenia at EuroBasket 2017, when a teenage Luka Doncic helped the country win gold and earned All-Tournament Team honors. When Kokoškov joined Dallas, that familiarity quickly became part of his daily work.
He worked closely with Luka Doncic during practice and took responsibility for warming him up before games. The two could regularly be seen getting extra repetitions together. Jason Kidd himself publicly praised that relationship.
“I think it can help, and it has helped because he can be honest with Luka if he’s doing something,” Kidd told Mavs.com. “I think there’s a big respect for one another.” Kidd added that Kokoškov understood that he wanted the best for Luka Doncic and could put him in a position to succeed, calling the level of trust and respect between them “very, very high.” That makes Kokoškov’s new comments particularly striking.
On the court, Kidd’s Dallas tenure produced some major highs. The Mavericks went 52-30 in their first season and reached the Western Conference finals in 2022. The following season exposed some of the problems.
Dallas dropped to 38-44 and missed the playoffs. Luka Doncic, meanwhile, averaged 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists, showing just how much of the offense continued to run through him. The relationship was not always completely smooth.
Kidd repeatedly challenged Luka Dončić to trust his teammates and reduce the burden on himself. In 2022, Kidd also publicly expressed concern about Dončić’s enormous usage rate, saying the Mavericks needed to find a better balance so their superstar could contribute defensively.
Still, the partnership ultimately produced Dallas’ best season under Kidd.
In 2023-24, the Mavericks went 50-32 and reached the NBA Finals. Dončić averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists during the regular season, then helped Dallas reach the Finals after a 4-1 Western Conference finals victory over Minnesota.
Now, Kokoškov’s comments have reopened questions about the behind-the-scenes issues in Dallas. He suggested that, inside the coaching staff, the dynamics were far more complicated than they appeared from the outside.