Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic has been one of the best players in the sport since his arrival to the NBA as a teenager in 2018. But after a down year that saw him get injured then traded from the Dallas Mavericks to L.A. and a slow performance in a first round exit, he needed to do something to cement his status in the league.
He did just that at EuroBasket 2025. After slimming down all summer and undergoing a massive body transformation, he led Slovenia all the way to the quarterfinals — farther than anyone expected them to go — while putting up tournament-best numbers across the board.
One player who Doncic fully got the attention of with his EuroBasket showing was Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George.
George has battled against Doncic as a member of the L.A. Clippers and has seen his development over the last seven years and had some major praise for the Slovenian star, via Podcast P:
“We’re talking about being the biggest international player now. That’s surpassing GOATs, you know what I mean? That’s surpassing Dirk, that’s surpassing Tony Parker, that’s surpassing Hakeem. He’s got a chance to be the biggest international guy. Surpassing Giannis, in a way. He’s got a chance to be one of the best to ever do it. His game is just way older than what he is. He’s tough, man. He’s a problem. Big fan of Luka. And he talk that shit too. He’s a child killer.”
George already puts Doncic up alongside some historic names, both in NBA and international play. Hakeem Olajuwan is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time, while Dirk Nowitzki and Tony Parker are Hall of Famers with incredible international careers as well.
But Luka being alongside these names isn’t that surprising or much of a stretch. That is truly the level of player he has established himself to be by age 26, and there’s no reason to think that star won’t continue to grow as a member of the Lakers.
Franz Wagner speaks on Luka Doncic’s body transformation
The run for Luka Doncic at FIBA EuroBasket 2025 has come to an end. Doncic led Slovenia into the quarterfinals against a heavily favored Germany squad led by Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner and despite a very strong start, they were not able to hold on in the fourth quarter, coming up short in the end and being eliminated.
Even still, Doncic went out with another exceptional performance finishing with 39 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in the loss. Many would argue that Doncic was the best player in the entire tournament and the shape that he has gotten in this offseason seemed to benefit him on both ends of the floor during this tournament.
But Wagner couldn’t really tell the difference as he felt the Lakers superstar was just as amazing as he has always been throughout the years.
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