Who is Luka Doncic?

Although Dallas Mavericks were eliminated in the first round of the NBA 2020-21 playoffs, Luka Doncic has had a year to remember and with the immense talent that he possesses, there’s no doubt that he’ll have many more. 

Recently, he became the first Mavericks player to feature on the cover of NBA 2K22, the 23rd instalment of the popular video game series.

Ahead of the Summer Games, Luka Doncic also led the Slovenian national basketball team to their first Olympics.  

Born in Ljubljana, Doncic grabbed eyeballs from a very young age in Union Olimpija, before he joined the youth academy of Real Madrid.

Making his way up the ranks, the Slovanian made his debut for the senior team at the age of 16, becoming the youngest in the club history. Since then started an incredible fairytale. 

Two years later, he led Madrid to the 2018 EuroLeague title, winning the EuroLeague MVP as well as the Final Four MVP. Doncic was also selected to the EuroLeague 2010–20 All-Decade Team.

However, Real Madrid knew that they couldn’t possibly keep such a brilliant talent for too long and so it happened. In 2018, Doncic declared for the NBA draft. He was selected with the third overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2018 NBA draft. However, he was then traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the draft rights to Trae Young and a protected future first-round pick in 2019. One of the very few trades where teams massively benefitted.  

After an electric first season, where he became the youngest 20-point scorer in franchise history and the first teenager in NBA history with a 30-point triple-double and with multiple triple-doubles, Doncic was selected unanimously to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and won Rookie of the Year for the 2018–19 season.

During the 2019–20 season, Doncic was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game as a Western Conference starter. He became the youngest European player to start in an All-Star game.  

Yet again, in the 2020-21 season, he was selected for the All-NBA First Team.

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With the talent that he possesses, Doncic is destined for greatness as many pundits, players and coaches have hailed his attributes and drawn parallels between him and NBA great Magic Johnson.

Even for the Slovenian national team, Doncic has been an invaluable asset. He made his senior debut for Slovenia in 2016 at only 17 years of age; he would later be named to the All-Tournament Team after helping his country win its first EuroBasket title in 2017.

And after leading his country to the Olympics, supporters will be hoping he can push for a medal charge with the national side.