SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Brought together in celebration, there they sat Monday night, at the same table in the Barker Hangar at the NBA Awards show, waiting, especially for the Rookie of the Year announcement.
There was Luka Doncic. There was his mother, grandmother and girlfriend. There was Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. There was Doncic's agent, Bill Duffy, co-founder and president of BDA Sports. And there was Quique Villalobos, BDA Sports' director of Spanish basketball.
When the Mavericks traded for Doncic last June, they also gained a powerful ally in Duffy, whose vast stable of NBA players includes Doncic's fellow ROY finalist Deandre Ayton, as well as 2019 lottery picks RJ Barrett and Jaxson Hayes.