With the NBA Draft 2018, which took place on June 21, 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, Luka Doncic made headlines after the event.
As tradition demands, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams alternately select the next stars of the game from amateur US college players and international players. This epoch-making event is likely to be the talk of the sport in years to come as these amateurs take full advantage of the opportunity to occupy the territory and the records once held by the likes of Lebron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Love, to name but a few.
The design was a formal reason why the name Luka Doncic first became known to many people. Here we will tell you everything you need to know about him and what makes him really special.
Here’s What You Need To Know About Luka Doncic
Early Beginning
Luka Doncic has been described by cbssports.com as the “most polished European teenager prospectus ever”, while star-telegram.com described him as the “international man of mystery”. If you are indeed good at what you do, we should expect no less.
Luka, who is now a professional basketball player, was born on February 28, 1999, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the son of his parents Mirjam Poterbin (mother), a former hurdler, model, and dancer, and Saša Doncic (father), a former basketball player and current coach.
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It is said that Luka Doncic touched a basketball for the first time at the age of 7 months and already on his first birthday he played with a miniature hoop that his parents had set up in his room. What a way to make a star!
So basketball became a matter of course for him, and at the age of 7, he started playing structured basketball at his primary school in Ljubljana with children older than him. This encouraged him to train more and think faster so that his skills could compensate for what he lacked in size.
Real Madrid
The young player had an impressive start at his new club, and there he developed his game further after signing a 5-year contract with the club in September 2012 at the age of 13. With the Madrid youth team, he won the following trophies and awards for himself: Ciutat de l’Hospitalet U-14 Tournament: Championship, 14 Minicopa ACB of Vitoria-Gasteiz: Winners of both in 2013, 18 Madrid Junior Championship: Champion in 2014, 18 Ciutat de l’Hospitalet Tournament (ANGT): Champion and next-generation U-18 Euroleague basketball tournament: Champion in 2015.
In the senior national team, he became Real Madrid Euroleague champion: 2017-18, League ACB (Spanish league) champion: 2014-15, 2015-16, 2017-18, Copa Del Rey (Spanish royal cup) winner: 2016, 2017 and FIBA Intercontinental Cup champion: 2015.
Youth Career
He started his youth career in the Slovenian club Union Olimpija, where he often played with children a few years older than him, as his skills matched theirs. In September 2011, Luka Doncic represented Union Olimpija at the U-14 Vasas Intesa Sanpaolo Cup in Budapest, where he became the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the competition, although his team was only runner-up to FC Barcelona. For his impressive performance, he attracted the interest of the Real Madrid people, who wanted to pass him on to the Spanish team on loan.
International
In the national team, Luka Doncic did not fall short of expectations, winning gold with the Slovenian national basketball team in FIBA EuroBasket 2017 and also with the FIBA EuroBasket All-Tournament team: 2017.
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In view of such talent and impressive youth records, with which only the big names in the sport have so far identified, it will not be surprising when Luka Doncic will break and set new records in the near future.
On June 21, 2018, history was made when Luka Doncic was selected by the Atlanta Hawks as the 3rd overall candidate for the NBA 2018. The Hawks then traded him for the Dallas Mavericks to have him as the 5th overall Trae Young and also to secure a future selection in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft.
Other Facts About Luka Doncic
- Jersey Number – Luka Doncic wore the number 7 jersey for Real Madrid and is said to wear the number 77 in his new team. However, no explanation was given for this.
- Youth Accomplishments – Luka Doncic is the youngest recipient of the EuroLeague MVP and EuroLeague Final Four MVP awards.
- Height and Weight– The young lad is between 1.70 m and 1.90 m tall. The exact figure is not yet known. His weight is 230 pounds.
