The Wonder Boy cover art

The Wonder Boy

Luka Doncic and the Curse of Greatness

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The Wonder Boy

By: Tim MacMahon
Narrated by: Tim MacMahon, Charles Constant
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About this listen

 ESPN’s Tim MacMahon goes behind the scenes of Luka Dončić’s years with the Dallas Mavericks—before his trade to the Lakers stunned the basketball world—telling the story of a franchise’s quest to build a championship team around a prodigy.

In 2018, the Dallas Mavericks landed the most hyped prospect in basketball history—teenaged Luka Dončić. With The Wonder Boy, MacMahon takes us beyond the highlights to the madness that ensues as the Mavericks try to avoid blowing their golden opportunity. From the internal power struggles in owner Mark Cuban’s front office during the early years of Dončić’s career, to the new regime’s effort to earn Dončić’s loyalty and put the ruthless competitor in position to win, readers will learn never-before-reported details about the saga’s biggest moments, including:
  • The blockbuster deal for Kristaps Porzingis that blew up in the Mavs’ faces
  • The divorces with coach Rick Carlisle and GM Donnie Nelson
  • Jalen Brunson’s exit after a run to the Western Conference finals
  • The new pairing with the mercurial Kyrie Irving
  • The improbable journey to the 2024 Finals

The Wonder Boy pulls back the curtain on on the Mavs’ quest to win it all with their irreplaceable young star, a dilemma every NBA team would love to have. Basketball Sports Sports History Inspiring

Critic reviews

"From Doncic's childhood through the Mavericks run to the 2024 NBA Finals, MacMahon unearths fascinating new details about Doncic's unlikely path to Dallas and the challenges of building around a generational superstar. This is a true insider account—a must-have for any basketball fan."
—Zach Lowe, NBA analyst and host of the “Lowe Post” podcast
All stars
Most relevant
Great in-depth information on Luka
Performer don’t know names of some players.
Think last chapter is missing as banned mcman said on the pod he had to add one after the Luka trade.

Great in-depth information on Luka

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Whilst this was ok, it didn’t really deliver much I didn’t already know. There was quite a bit of recounting play by play action that might have been interesting in the days before YouTube existed, but certainly isn’t now.

Fairly uneventful

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