Dallas Mavericks fans were beyond disgusted when Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and it sounds like a member of the team’s coaching staff may have had similar emotions about the deal.
Mavericks assistant coach Marko Milic has decided to leave the team, Marc Stein reported on Sunday. Milic, who is from Slovenia, did not want to remain with the Mavs now that Doncic no longer plays for the team.
Doncic, of course, is also from Slovenia. Milic became the first Slovenian player to ever play in the NBA when he was with the Phoenix Suns for the 1997-98 season. Milic was teammates with Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd on that team and again in 1999.
Kidd hired Milic as an assistant in 2022. There was an obvious connection between Doncic and Milic, who is a four-time Slovenian League champion and four-time Slovenian Cup winner.
Milic was the manager of Slovenia’s national team before he joined the Mavericks. He coached Doncic on that team.
The Mavericks stunned the sports world when they traded Doncic to the Lakers last weekend. It would be an understatement to say fans in Dallas were upset with the deal. Some Mavs fans went to absurd lengths to showcase their displeasure with the team.
