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[Saba Sports News] Heading into the NBA Finals, much attention has been on the tension between Kyrie Irving and Boston Celtics fans. However, one former Dallas Mavericks player believes more should be made of the “actual beef” between Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Doncic, however, denies any such conflict.
Porzingis joined the Mavericks for over two seasons following a 2019 trade from the New York Knicks. The hope was that he and Doncic could form a championship-contending duo, but this did not materialize due to Porzingis’ injuries and Dallas exiting in the first round of the playoffs during his full seasons with the team.
Chandler Parsons, who played for the Mavericks from 2014-2016, mentioned on FanDuel TV’s “Run it Back” that Porzingis is unpopular in Dallas and claimed there is bad blood between Doncic and Porzingis.
“It will be way more violent towards Kyrie Irving in Boston, no doubt. But don’t get it twisted, they do not like Porzingis in Dallas,” Parsons said. “Luka did not like playing with him. There is an actual beef there. It’s gonna be every time he touches the ball he’s getting booed. … I think that’s known. It didn’t work out.”
Despite not playing with either Doncic or Porzingis, Parsons’ comments carried weight due to his past association with the team. Doncic, when asked about Parsons’ remarks, dismissed them with a laugh.
“You see, that’s why I don’t watch a lot of that, because people don’t know,” Doncic said. “I’ve talked to Chandler Parsons maybe twice in my life, so I don’t know how he would know that. But, me and KP have a good relationship. I don’t know why people say otherwise.”
Porzingis admitted in a 2022 interview that communication between him and Doncic could have been better, expressing disappointment with their time together and noting that “there were situations we should have just talked to each other.” This, however, does not imply any animosity between them.
While Porzingis may face boos in Dallas due to the disappointment of his tenure, Doncic clearly prefers to avoid fueling that narrative, much like Irving is trying to minimize hostility with Celtics fans.