Luka Dončić

As the minutes wound down prior to Game Two of the NBA Finals, Luka Dončić — taped like a mummy with wrap encircling both his knee and chest area — stood calmly as the trainers prepared him for his career's biggest game to date. By night’s end, that wouldn’t be the only kind of wraparound the game would offer. Engaged in a battle of wits against a Boston Celtics defense focused on turning him into a facilitator, the Most Valuable Player Award finalist puts Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis through a pick-and-roll puzzle, almost magnet-like with both following his drive down the left baseline. In a brilliant show of court awareness, chemistry, and raw passing ability, Dončić unloads a no-look dime around Porzingis’ frame, back in the opposite direction and squarely into the hands of his teammate to set up a run-stopping 3-pointer. Battling through an assortment of injuries that left him questionable to play, the Dallas Mavericks superstar was a sure thing, even in defeat. In earning the 10th triple-double of his postseason career, Dončić stuffed the statsheet with 32 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, four steals, and four triples on June 9, 2024.