Luka Doncic has established himself as one of the best players in the world in an incredibly small amount of time. Doncic has only been in the league for 4 years now.
And in that time, Doncic has been a Rookie Of The Year, making multiple All-Star and All-NBA teams. And this week, Doncic helped lead the Dallas Mavericks to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since their 2011 NBA championship run.
Luka Doncic is one of the best young talents in the world, as he is only 23 years of age. But even when he was as young as 12 years old, Doncic was an offensive juggernaut.
Old footage of Doncic playing in an under-13 tournament in Italy has gone viral. Doncic was a scoring phenomenon during the tournament and scored a 54-point triple-double with 11 rebounds and 10 assists in the final of the tournament to win it for his team and be named MVP of the tournament.
Goran Dragic’s brother Zoran, who played with Luka’s father, also a professional player, spoke about Luka as a kid and how he was a sponge for the game.
While Dragic noted that his brother Goran was the best Slovenian player, he did say that if Luka ever went to the NBA, he could surpass Goran Dragic as the best Slovenian player.
“I remember when Luka was a baby, I was 15 or 16, and played with his father, Sasa,” Dragic said. “He would watch us practice and learn the game. … I think Goran [Dragic] is the best Slovenian player ever, and I’m not saying that because he is my brother. But if Luka goes to the NBA, he can be a bigger star.”
Doncic’s performance in the tournament opened a lot of eyes and attracted a lot of attention to the young Slovenian. Soon after, Doncic was signed by European giants Real Madrid.
At Madrid, Doncic defied his age and the expectations placed on him, as he established himself as one of the best young players in Europe. After finding success with Real Madrid, Doncic decided to come to the NBA.
Since coming to the NBA, Doncic has immediately become one of the most exciting young talents in the league. Doncic is the centerpiece for the Dallas Mavericks, and the franchise has actually built a really good team around him.
Mavs fans will be dreaming of an NBA championship this year, as Luka is playing some of the best basketball of his young career, and could realistically take over and lead the franchise to their first championship in 11 years.
