![]() He moved to Madrid, living with football and basketball prospects. In September 2012, at 13 years of age, Dončić signed a five-year contract with Real Madrid, immediately standing out on the under-16 team with coach Paco Redondo. Real Madrid Dončić is interviewed after a youth game with Real Madrid in May 2014 In a title-clinching win over Lazio, he erupted for 54 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. In the semi-final round of the event against Victoria Fermo, he posted 29 points and 15 rebounds. In April 2012, he participated in the under-13 Lido di Roma Tournament for Olimpija, finishing as MVP and leading scorer with 34.5 points per game. Dončić averaged 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 3.3 steals per game to win tournament MVP honors, leading Real Madrid to a second-place finish. In February 2012, he was loaned to Spanish club Real Madrid for the Minicopa Endesa, an under-14 Spanish club competition. Representing Olimpija at the under-14 Vasas Intesa Sanpaolo Cup in Budapest in September 2011, Dončić was named the most valuable player (MVP) despite finishing as runners-up to FC Barcelona. Despite his exclusion from under-14 games at the time, Dončić often asked to attend practice, even when his coach asked him to stay home. Still, due to league rules, he only played for the club's under-12 selection team, coming off the bench against opponents three or four years older than him. Starting in the next session, he primarily practiced with Olimpija's under-14 team. Still, only 16 minutes into his first training session, the coaching staff moved him to the 11-year-old group. Dončić was initially expected to practice with players his age. Olimpija Basketball School coach Grega Brezovec invited Luka to practice with players his age. When Dončić was eight, his father started playing for his hometown club Union Olimpija. Dončić also grew up admiring American basketball player LeBron James. He wore the number 7 at Real Madrid in honor of Spanoulis. Many of them were bigger and faster than me too, so I had to beat them with my brain." He admired Greek basketball player Vassilis Spanoulis from his early teenage years, stating that he was "enchanted" by him. His opponents at the time were up to ten years old, as Dončić reflected: "I was always training and playing with older kids who had much more experience than me. At age seven, he began playing organized basketball at a primary school in Ljubljana. He played various sports in his childhood, including football, which he later quit after growing too tall. Īccording to his family, Dončić first touched a basketball when he was seven months old and frequently played with a miniature hoop in his room by age one. His parents filed for divorce in 2008, with custody and legal guardianship granted to his mother. His mother is Slovenian, and his father is a Slovenian of Serbian descent from Kosovo. He would later help his country win its first EuroBasket title in 2017 while also being named to the All-Tournament Team.ĭončić was born in Ljubljana to Mirjam Poterbin, an owner of beauty salons, and Saša Dončić, a basketball coach and former player. ĭončić made his senior debut for Slovenia in 2016 at only 17 years of age. He is the Mavericks' franchise leader in career triple-doubles. ![]() In his next four seasons, he was selected to the NBA All-Star game and named to the All-NBA First Team. He was selected unanimously to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and won Rookie of the Year for the 2018–19 season. In 2018, Dončić declared for the NBA draft, where he was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks and then traded to the Dallas Mavericks. In addition, he was selected to the EuroLeague 2010–20 All-Decade Team. Dončić was named the ACB Most Valuable Player and won back-to-back EuroLeague Rising Star and ACB Best Young Player awards. He led Madrid to the 2018 EuroLeague title, winning the EuroLeague MVP and the Final Four MVP. In 2015 he made his debut for the academy's senior team at age 16, becoming the youngest in club history. īorn in Ljubljana, Dončić shone as a youth player for Union Olimpija before joining the youth academy of Real Madrid. ![]() He also plays for the Slovenia national team and is regarded as one of the greatest European players of all time. Luka Dončić ( / ˈ d ɒ n tʃ ɪ tʃ/ DON-chich Slovene: born February 28, 1999) is a Slovenian professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Sports Illustrated Breakout of the Year (2019).EB Next Generation Tournament MVP ( 2015).EB Next Generation Tournament champion ( 2015).FIBA Intercontinental Cup champion ( 2015).2× Trofeo Costa de Sol champion (2016, 2017).
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