There’s no denying that Luka Doncic is one of the best players on Earth right now. He’s a generational talent and a guy any team would die for, and the Dallas Mavericks will do whatever it takes to make him happy.
Nonetheless, given how things have unfolded within the organization over the past couple of weeks, there’s a narrative that cites that Doncic has a difficult character and that he’s full of himself, and that’s why Rick Carlisle decided to step down as coach.
That’s why his teammate Mike Tobey decided to shut down that narrative during a recent interview with Eurohoops, claiming that his experience in the national team with him has been the opposite to what people have said about him:
EH: There have been comments about Luka Doncic’s character being “difficult” and that maybe he’s not fun to play with…
M.T.: I’d tell you completely the opposite. From my experience, he’s a great guy, on and off the court. I’m really enjoying this experience of playing with him. I don’t know where those reports are coming from but my experience is the complete opposite of those things.
EH: Is Luka a vocal locker room presence, a leader off the court as well?
M.T.: Definitely. He’s always playing the music. He’s the DJ. They love the Balkan music. They are always playing that. That’s something I got to get used to (laughs). It’s an overall, really fun atmosphere. He’s for sure the leader on the court and off the court he does his thing too.
It’s like a family. Everyone is really close and all the guys are having a good time.
One of the burdens of being a superstar is having people constantly questioning your character and personality. Luka is a winner and a competitor, so he’ll be mad when his team losses, that’s just the way it goes.
Doncic is the kind of player that can turn a franchise around, so if the Mavericks are willing to go the extra mile to keep him happy, then so be it.
