The Dallas Mavericks’ run to the final showed they’ve come a long way from being the pushovers in the past. The Mavs are now equipped with firepower rivaling the best teams in the league, but that wasn’t always the case. Certainly not in the mid-2010s. Deron Williams was a part of that from 2015-17, but he’d have liked to line up somewhere else if it was up to him.
During a recent appearance on Players TV, Williams revealed his wish to join the Lakers, more importantly Kobe Bryant. When asked about the team he would have liked to play for, the former Mavericks guard said, “The Lakers. I wanted to play with Kobe. Especially because I played with Derek Fisher my second year, and then he went back to the Lakers.”
“I loved playing with Fish; I loved Fish on and off the court. He was a good mentor for me and taught me a lot about the league and the game. Obviously, the Lakers organization is what they are; they win. That’s what I was about, so I’d definitely want to go back and play for them,” the ex-Mavericks added.
Incidentally, they shared the court wearing the same colors during their outings with the national team. Deron and Kobe played together in the 2007 FIBA World Championship and two Olympics, in 2008 and 2012. Those outings ended with a gold medal win, so it’s understandable why he’d have liked to team up with Kobe in the NBA.
Talking about the present day, Deron highlighted the Mavericks’ recent success and talked about a player on their roster who he believes to be the most skilled player ever.
Deron Williams Lauds Mavericks Guard Kyrie Irving
Deron Williams recently applauded his former Cavaliers teammate and current Mavericks star Kyrie Irving.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NBA stories via Google! Follow Us
Praising the guard’s skill set, Williams said, “Kyrie is the most skilled player I’ve ever seen, as far as just pure skill. There’s nothing on the offensive end that he can’t do.”
Mesmerized by Kyrie’s ability to deal with taller opponents, the former Mavericks star added, “I’ve never seen anybody dribble the ball like him. He’s a wizard with the basketball.”
Kyrie was added to the Dallas Mavericks last year to help the inexperienced team with his championship knowledge. The 8-time All-Star helped the franchise reach the NBA Finals, but the Celtics swept them off in the end.
With the addition of Klay Thompson, the Mavs hope to have another deep playoff run and, preferably, the NBA championship.
