The Future is Luka

Article by: João Vitor Inojosa

As the NBA finals are right around the corner, teams have been battling it off in the playoffs to get in the finals. Already, some title favorites have been eliminated, the Brooklyn Nets were eliminated in the first round, the Bucks were eliminated recently in a game 7 by the Boston Celtics, and shockingly, the unanimous title favorites, the Phoenix Suns were eliminated in a blowout loss in Game 7 against the Dallas Mavericks. Out of all the teams eliminated the one who is getting arguably the most negative attention about their loss is the Phoenix Suns. With a star-studded roster, with players like Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and DeAndre Ayton, the Phoenix Suns were undoubtedly the best team in the NBA, and this can be shown by the fact that they had the best record in the league (64-18). Because of their success, many fans believed the Suns would blow through the competition in the playoffs, however to much surprise, during the Western Conference Semifinals, the Suns struggled against the Dallas Mavericks, more specifically, one player, in particular, Luka Dončić.

Dončić, born in Slovenia, has a long history with the sport of basketball. His father, Saša Dončić, was also a professional basketball player and inspired his son Luka to play. Luka’s career started when he played for his hometown club, Union Olimpija. Some years later, after completely dominating the competition in Europe, when Luka was 13 he was called up by Real Madrid to come to play for them. This was an offer he could not refuse, as Real Madrid was/is one of the best teams in all of Europe. However, this transition was not easy for Luka as he barely spoke any English and didn’t speak any Spanish. Additionally, he was thousands of kilometers away from his home country, friends, and family. Of course, after some time, Dončić got used to this new lifestyle and even became fluent in Spanish, and once he got situated, no one could stop him. During his time there, Luka picked up various awards, which include, a Euro League Championship, Euro League Rising Star, Euro League MVP, and many more. The future was bright for the rising phenom and his presence was starting to get known all around the world, and in 2018 he was drafted into the NBA with the third overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks, who then traded him to the Dallas Mavericks.

Despite all his overseas success, many people doubted Luka when he came into the league, calling him “unathletic” and “overrated”. Stephen A Smith, a famous and influential sports broadcaster even said, “I Don’t Give A Damn About How This Kid In Europe Looks” before Luka was drafted. However, Luka proved the doubters wrong by winning Rookie of the Year and being only the fifth rookie in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. Moreover, the success continues for the 23-year-old Dončić as he is a 2-Time All Nba First Team, the Maverick’s current franchise leader in triple-doubles, and is averaging 26.4 points per game throughout his career. These accolades have not gone unnoticed, as Luka has become a fan favorite, ranking 5th in the most sold NBA jerseys for the 21-22 NBA season. Even amongst players, he has become a favorite, with Lebron James recently saying that Dončić is his favorite player under the age of 25. Furthermore, from a business standpoint, Luka will be very important and influential for the NBA as he will bring in more European viewership to the sport. Of course, Luka’s future is not certain, however, one can not deny that it does seem bright.