Luka Doncic entered the NBA as a prodigious talent who was always smiling on the court while he shattered expectations of what he could achieve in the NBA. As he’s become an NBA superstar since being drafted in 2018, Doncic is trying to give back to the game of basketball, especially the future of the sport.
Doncic launched the Luka Doncic Youth Foundation last week on World Basketball Day to celebrate the joy of basketball and create opportunities for young athletes. He shared multiple quotes about how pressure has replaced joy among kids who play basketball.
“When I was a kid growing up in Slovenia, all I wanted to do was run to the outdoor court behind my apartment to play basketball. I see how kids are missing out on the joy and magic of the game — whether it’s because of cost, pressure, or programs that forget that basketball should be fun.”
The foundation released the ‘Inside Youth Basketball 2025’ report, which highlights the state of youth basketball in the United States and Europe. The findings of the report indicate worrying trends in youth sports which the foundation will work to address.
“Our report found that the pressures on kids to be perfect – treating games like they’re a job or a way to fill your highlight reel – are leading to historic drop-out rates: Seven out of 10 kids are walking away from youth sports by age 13. These pressures take away all the things that I love most about basketball. Kids who stop playing miss out on friendship, teamwork, growth, development, healthy competition, and, most of all, fun. They miss out on the joy.”
Doncic thinks the sport has lost its joy at the youth level due to the pressure to make it into elite programs, pay for training and exposure, and worry about generating highlights. The Slovenian guard wants children to connect with the sport in the same way he did and enjoy it.
“There was a lot of pressure out there, especially with all the social media going on. I think there’s too much based on highlights. So I think that, at the end of the day, I just want to bring back the joy and fun for the kids. Like I had, you know. After I went to school or after school, I went out to play basketball. And that was the best thing that I ever did. You know, I just had fun. Enjoy it.”
Doncic’s foundation is looking to reach as many kids as possible, already naming several iconic NBA players on the Youth Sports Leadership Council for the foundation. This list includes Stephen Curry, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Sabrina Ionescu, Tracy McGrady, Pau Gasol, Grant Hill, Igor Kokoskov, and Bill Duffy.
When we talk about pressure on young athletes, nobody can relate to it more than Doncic. He moved from Slovenia to Madrid, Spain at the age of 13 to devote himself to the game of basketball while being treated as a prodigy of the sport. He didn’t crack under the pressure and summited the top of European basketball by age 18, becoming MVP of the EuroLeague for the iconic Real Madrid.
He has carried that success to the NBA, winning 2019 Rookie of the Year with the Dallas Mavericks and having made the All-NBA First Team in every season since. Despite his critics, Doncic has already established himself as an all-time great at the age of 25, carrying the Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season.
Despite some hard times in Dallas, Doncic has persevered and kept himself connected with the joy basketball brings him, and now he hopes to bring the same to the next generation of hoopers who could potentially end up guarding him in the NBA one day.
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