NBA: Antetokounmpo praises Doncic for breaking Michael Jordan’s record

The 21-year-old Slovenian has been in a terrific form this season.

Young superstar Luka Doncic etched his name in history books with an unforgettable performance against Milwaukee Bucks. The Slovenian broke the long-standing record of the one and only Michael Jordan as he notched an incredible triple-double, powering Dallas Mavericks to an astonishing 136-132 overtime victory.

Doncic subsequently became the youngest player in the history of the NBA to record 35 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds in a single match. As mentioned before, the only basketball player to achieve the sensational feat at a younger age (21 years and 332 days) was Michael Jordan. However, the newest young prodigy in basketball eclipsed that record by doing it at the age of 21 years and 162 days.

His stunning display even drew praise from Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is the reigning league MVP. The Bucks star witnessed the action from close quarters and couldn’t prevent his side from losing on the night despite his best efforts. Nonetheless, he had nothing but kind words for his opponent.

Giannis remarked, "It's amazing. He's playing great basketball. He's a great basketball player, makes his teammates better. Talented ... really talented. One of the most talented guys I've ever played against. He's making the whole team better, and he's going to keep getting better. As long as he makes his team better, they're going to be tough to beat."

As you might expect, the plaudits for the prodigious talent didn’t stop there. Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle also got on the bandwagon, even stating that he would pay to watch the player work his magic on the court.  

He remarked, "I applauded. I thought it was phenomenal. The sign of a great player, a truly great player, is the ability to pull off something like that against a team like Milwaukee, that gives up virtually nothing in the paint. We're seeing more things all the time. Luka is not only a great basketball player, he's a great performer. I'd pay money to watch him play. I don't say that about a lot of players, but he's really special."

The young lad had the night of his life, finishing the game with 36 points, 14 rebounds, and 19 assists, which are truly outrageous numbers. Furthermore, he now has recorded league-best 17 triple-doubles this season. He even became the youngest player in NBA history to lead the league in triple-doubles, surpassing Magic Johnson, another legend of the sport on this occasion.

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For some much-needed perspective, this only is the 21-year-old’s second year in the NBA and the kid keeps breaking records for fun. It is a bit scary actually how good he is at his age and hence you should be almost certain about the prospect of hearing a lot more of him in the coming years.