The NBA has always been known to take recruits from outside of America ,as some of the most well-known professional players are from foreign land. However, as of recently, the talk of ESPN has been one man: Luka Doncic. From dominating the European league to topping the stats for the NBA each game, Doncic is one to watch.
Luka Doncic is a 23 year old professional basketball player from Slovenia. He is originally from Ljubljana and started playing organized basketball at the age of seven. During his adolescence, he always played with people more experienced and more developed than him, giving him the advantage later on when improving his game. He then practiced with Real Madrid at 13 and continued to dominate the Euro League, winning awards for Rising Star and MVP in the following years. He made his professional debut for Real Madrid at 16 years old, becoming the youngest player to play for the club and the third youngest in the Liga ACB’s history. While he only played five games in his debut season, averaging only 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in 4.8 minutes per game, that game time at such a young age seems to have been crucial in his early development. In 2018, though, he declared his desire to pursue his career in America, preferably becoming a pick in the NBA Draft. Luckily for him he was the “number one in the draft. It's very easy to fall in love with his ball handling, his creativity, his ability to play all three open positions and the confidence he has being so young,” stated NBA Draft reporter Jonathan Givony.
In the 2018 NBA Draft, Luka was selected by the Atlanta Hawks as their number three pick. However, the Dallas Mavericks traded Trae Young for young Doncic and Luka soon signed his first NBA contract with the Mavs. The Slovenian athlete soon grew to fame after winning the 2019 Rookie of the Year award and then being on the NBA All-Star Team the following year. This 6 foot 7 powerhouse shocks Texas every night with a showstopping performance that has made him the leader of the team. But what makes him so good? Doncic has great size for the position he plays, point guard, and has had an almost complete offensive skill set since joining the NBA. He has drawn many comparisons to the likes of LeBron James, James Harden, and Larry Bird, and not just because he has similar skills, but because he has shown to have the knack of winning. He plays the game like a veteran with one of the highest basketball IQs in the NBA as of current rankings.
Currently during the 2022-2023 season, Luka Doncic is averaging 33.7 points per game, 8.8 rebounds per game, and 8.8 assists per game. These stats alone almost show him averaging a triple double, a rare feat in the NBA. Doncic is on track both for the MVP award as well as possibly earning himself a spot in the NBA Hall of Fame. Doncic has already had such a successful career at such a young age and fans are excited to see how he improves over the next few seasons.