ROSEMARY ABBOTT | Sport
BETRAYAL
NBA superstar Luka Dončić has reportedly reached out to former All Blacks fullback Christian Cullen in an effort to process the unthinkable—being cast aside while still in his prime.
The 25-year-old NBA superstar from Slovenia was shockingly traded by the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, a move that sent shockwaves through the basketball world.
Struggling to come to terms with being discarded, Dončić said he began researching athletes who suffered similar fates. That’s when he discovered Christian Cullen, the legendary All Blacks fullback who was ruthlessly dropped by coach John Mitchell in 2003 at the age of 26, while still performing at the peak of his powers.
“I saw the tape of him carving up teams from the back, running like a gazelle, scoring test tries for fun,” Dončić said. “Then I read how he just… wasn’t wanted anymore. That hit deep.”
When pressed by our reporters to what he said, Dončić explained the dialogue.
“I just asked him, ‘Hey, man, how do you cope with knowing you were still at your best but the people in charge decided you weren’t worth it?’” Dončić said.
Cullen, now 48, and arguably the greatest fullback to ever play the game of rugby, confirmed the exchange.
“Yeah, Luka messaged me out of the blue. I didn’t even know basketball players got dumped like that—I thought only rugby coaches did that sort of thing.
“I told him, ‘Mate, at least you got traded. You’ll probably go win a ring with LeBron in LA. But for me, I’m often waking up at 3 a.m. thinking, ‘How the hell did John Mitchell drop me in my prime?’”
More to come.
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