a veteran coach Igor Kokoskovwho led Luka Doncic and the Slovenian national team to the EuroBasket 2017 title, got the opportunity to work with Doncic again as Mavericks assistant in the 2021/22 season. However, Kokoskov admitted during a recent appearance on X&O’s Chat podcast (Link to YouTube) that he did not have much experience as a participant Jason Kiddcoaching staff that year.
“(Kidd) was one of my favorite players and one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game.” Kokoskov said, trans Nikola Miloradovic from Eurohoops. “I liked the Princeton offense because of Jason Kidd. But Jason Kidd, the player, and Jason Kidd, the coach and the person, are two completely different stories. I didn’t have a good experience with him, and I don’t have a particularly high opinion of him off the court or as a head coach.
“… Perhaps the best illustration is that after working with Jason Kidd for a year, I sat down with him and said, ‘Look, I have a history with Luka Doncic and I know him well. We’ve worked together before and that can definitely help the team. But I don’t work for Luka Doncic here. I work for you. This is your team. However, he could never get over it. It was something in his head, part of his personal problems that I didn’t want to get involved in.”
We have more notes from around the world of international basketball:
- Confirming reports abroadMark Stein of The Stein Line (Link to substack) cites league sources as saying that new Italian team BC Roma has expressed some interest in signing the NBA veteran. Maxi glue for the upcoming season. BC Roma, which will compete in Italy’s top national league and the Eurocup, was founded by Doncic, who played with Kleber in Dallas for several years and was traded to the Lakers in 2025.
- Nikola MiroticNBA forward from 2014-19, signed a one-year contract with Valencia Basket, reports a message from the Spanish club. The 2011 first-round pick averaged double-digit points in all five NBA seasons with Chicago, New Orleans and Milwaukee, but decided to return to Europe in 2019 and has played there since, earning EuroLeague MVP honors in 2022 and winning domestic championships in Spain (2021 and 2023), Italy (2024) and France (2026).
- Former NBA guard Rodney McGruder signed a contract with the Italian team “Longobardi Scaffati”. reported in the press release. McGruder, 35, spent seven seasons with the Heat, Clippers and Pistons from 2016-23, appearing in 317 regular-season games. He has since played in Italy, spending time with Olimpia Milan and Venezia before signing with Scaffati Basket.
