Following his Jordan Brand tour that took him across the country, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic is now back overseas preparing to represent his home country of Slovenia in the FIBA’s EuroBasket 2025 tournament.
Doncic will be one of many superstars taking part in this tournament, which also includes the likes of Nikola Jokic leading Serbia, Alperen Sengun representing Turkey and Giannis Antetokounmpo representing Greece.
EuroBasket is a very prestigious tournament that takes place every four years and crowns the best international team in Europe. As such, these players take this very seriously and there is a lot of pride at stake with players striving to come out on top, much like the World Cup or UEFA European Championships in soccer.
While Luka isn’t the only NBA player on the Slovenian roster, he is easily the team’s best player and he has high goals for his country. At a press conference prior to the start of the tournament, Doncic made it clear that he wants to medal at EuroBasket, but also noted that he isn’t the only leader on the Slovenian team, via Ekipa:
“Our goal is always a medal. But I am not the only leader. I have the feeling that others also have a say. If you have only one leader on the team, you will not get anything done. You have to have several leaders.”
It’s very easy to just assume that the NBA star playing for his country is clearly the leader or best player. But a lot of times with these countries, these players have been playing together for years and even though a certain player may not be an NBA star, he could have more experience on the international stage and be the leader for his country, especially since often times those NBA players don’t compete in smaller international tournaments.
Make no mistake, Slovenia will advance as far as Doncic takes them and the Lakers superstar will be relied upon heavily at EuroBasket. But this is still a team game and he will need the support of his teammates if they want to accomplish that goal of winning a medal.
Luka Doncic can get full no-trade clause in next Lakers contract
Of course, Luka Doncic is currently riding high after inking a three-year extension with the Lakers that will keep him in L.A. through 2028 when he will then be eligible for a massive five-year deal worth more than $400 million. And that contract could also include a full no-trade clause.
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