Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic is a huge soccer fan, so he was handed an interesting task recently. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup around the corner, Doncic had to create his ultimate soccer player using attributes of NBA superstars.
Speed: Tyrese Maxey
Strength: LeBron James
IQ: Nikola Jokic
Passing: Magic Johnson
Shooting: Stephen Curry
Skills: Allen Iverson
Those were some pretty good choices.
Tyrese Maxey is indeed one of the fastest players in the NBA today. Few can keep pace with the Philadelphia 76ers star when he is in full flow.
Strength was next, and Doncic went with his Lakers teammate LeBron James. James is listed at 6’9″ and 250 pounds. He is built like a tank, and there’s not much you can do when he’s running at you. That said, there is one other individual who is the most obvious pick in this category. That is, of course, Houston Rockets center Steven Adams. Most NBA players would admit there’s no one stronger.
Doncic then chose his good friend Nikola Jokic for IQ. Jokic is definitely in the conversation for the smartest basketball player. It’s probably between the Denver Nuggets superstar and James for that title.
Jokic and James would have been solid selections for passing, too, but Magic Johnson was the best. Johnson is widely regarded as the greatest playmaker in NBA history. He has the highest career average for assists per game in the regular season (11.2) and the playoffs (12.3) as well.
Doncic made the best selection for shooting as well with Stephen Curry. Curry is undoubtedly the greatest shooter we have ever seen. The Golden State Warriors icon has made 4,248 three-pointers in his career, and no one else has even gotten to 3,500.
Lastly, we get to skills, and it was a bit surprising that Doncic went with Hall of Famer Allen Iverson. You’d have thought he’d go with his former Dallas Mavericks teammate, Kyrie Irving, who has often been called the most skilled basketball player ever. Iverson isn’t a bad pick, though. He was a wizard with the ball in his hands.
Doncic himself would have been a solid shout in all these categories except for speed. You might rule him for strength, but he is a lot stronger than one might think.
