Luka Doncic was one of the stars of EuroBasket 2025, and his Slovenian teammate Alen Omic got to witness his greatness up close and personal. It was the first time that Omic had been teammates with Doncic, and he was asked about that experience during an interview with Sport Klub.
“It’s not as simple as it seems,” Omic said. “Luka is a winner. He wants to win, and he demands the same from his teammates. That’s why he pushes everything to perfection. At the same time, there’s a lot to be done for him on the court. We helped him, all of us, to the best of our ability. He returned the favor with his plays.
“For me, it was a great experience,” Omic added. “But I know that it would have been much easier to play with him five years ago. I was younger, more energetic, faster, better… Still, I can say that I enjoyed it immensely.”
Doncic can be a very demanding teammate, and we have seen that over the years in the NBA. Just like so many of the other greats of the game, he pushes his teammates to get the most out of them.
Doncic first cussed out his Slovenian teammates in the group stage against Belgium. The 26-year-old later exploded at them in the round of 16 clash against Italy for bickering and demanded that they get their act together.
Doncic downplayed that heated interaction after the game, and it was clear that all was well in the Slovenian camp. Omic even joked he’d be willing to give the Los Angeles Lakers superstar a massage, as he had suffered a leg injury early on in the game against Italy.
Slovenia beat Italy 84-77 that day to advance to the quarterfinals, but that’s as far as they’d go. They lost 99-91 to eventual champions Germany and just missed out on an opportunity to win a medal.
Doncic finished with exceptional averages of 34.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 2.7 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game at EuroBasket. He was deservedly named to the tournament’s All-Star Five, and you could argue he was the best player.
As for Omic, he averaged 7.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. In all, it was a solid showing from the 33-year-old, but as he himself stated, he isn’t quite at his best anymore.
Omic and the rest of the team played to the best of their abilities to support Doncic, but it wasn’t enough. The big man hopes the five-time All-Star can go on to achieve ultimate glory in the NBA, as evidenced by the message he sent to him when he was flying back to Los Angeles.
“Luka, become an MVP and win a championship ring, then we will party in Ljubljana,” Omic wrote.
Doncic is viewed as one of the favorites to win the MVP in 2026. He is in great shape and, crucially, will get to have a training camp with his Lakers teammates.
Doncic, of course, arrived in Los Angeles in the middle of the 2024-25 campaign when the Dallas Mavericks shockingly traded him to the Lakers. He averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for his new team, and you should expect those numbers to go up in 2025-26.
Will Doncic lead the Lakers to a title in 2026, though? Well, that seems doubtful at this point, but a lot can change between now and the business end of the NBA season.
