The Lakers superstar Luka Doncic recently appeared on the famous internet show ‘Hot Ones’ to challenge himself with tough questions while eating extremely spicy wings. One of the questions he was asked involved the craziest audience he had ever played in front of. And the 26-year-old star revealed that the wildest crowd he ever played for was in Europe and not in the NBA.
“I would say in Europe, you don’t really hear the people talking because it’s so loud. Especially Serbia, Greece, Turkey, I think those countries have the best atmosphere,” said Doncic initially. He then specified where he witnessed the loudest and toughest spectators.
“The best crowd, I mean the toughest, where I had to play, was in the Playoffs against Panathinaikos. I basically couldn’t hear my teammate next to me, so it was insane. And we started losing the game 20-0,” said Doncic as he described the atmosphere of the Playoffs during his time with Real Madrid early in his career.
“You can see now how many international players are Top-5 or Top-10 in the league. I think international basketball is going higher and higher. I mean, it’s exciting because everybody in the world is now watching the NBA because of so many international players,” said the Slovenian superstar. But before anyone could misinterpret what he said, he clarified and said, “Obviously, we still have American players that are unbelievable, but you know, we’re getting up there.”
Doncic is now one of the next generation of superstars who represent Europe at the pinnacle of the NBA alongside other old superstars like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic. As a 19-year-old in 2018, Doncic played for Real Madrid and won the EuroLeague MVP Award as he led them to a championship.
Doncic has been preparing for the biggest basketball stage in the world from a very young age. Therefore, he is likely very excited to hear about the potential international league that the NBA is planning to organize, some competition between NBA teams and European teams.
The Lakers’ superstar has not yet played a single game in the preseason run so far. But it is not due to any injury concerns, as JJ Redick has confirmed he plans to eventually play Doncic to get him ready for the Lakers’ regular season. After reports of his limited involvement in practice, Doncic has fully resumed scrimmages and training with the team. Therefore, we anticipate he will be available for the Sunday night game against the Warriors.
