Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has been dazzling during EuroBasket 2025, leading Slovenia to the round of 16 and a chance to medal.
Slovenia entered the tournament as underdogs as other countries like Serbia, Germany and France all have more NBA talent. Even teams like Turkey, Greece and Italy have made their mark in EuroBasket, providing a tough road for Doncic and his fellow countrymen to advance.
However, Luka and Slovenia shocked EuroBasket when they were able to upset Italy in the first round of the knockout stage. Doncic was spectacular in the win, putting up 42 points to go along with 10 rebounds. He only finished with one assist as his teammates struggled to score, prompting the scoring explosion.
Following the win against Italy, Doncic celebrated with a highlights post, via his personal Instagram account:
In the video, Doncic is seen scoring in a variety of different ways and getting the crowd rooting for Slovenia. He gave fans something to cheer about from the jump as he wound up scoring 22 of his 42 points in the first quarter alone. The video ends with Doncic hugging several of his teammates and moving Slovenia’s name up on the tournament bracket board.
Not only was Doncic unable to be stopped offensively, he also impacted the game on defense by getting several steals and deflections. Defense was cited as a concern for the Dallas Mavericks, but Doncic seems to have taken those criticisms to heart as he’s been more engaged on that side of the floor.
It was an impressive individual effort from Doncic, who has the talent and skill to carry Slovenia deep into EuroBasket, though the next round will be even more difficult as they face Germany. Unlike Slovenia, Germany is considered one of the favorites to win EuroBasket behind their stars Franz Wagner and Dennis Schroder.
With Doncic playing as well as he has been, Slovenia has an outside shot of getting past Germany and moving one step closer to medaling. However, Luka will need much more help if Slovenia hopes to pull off another upset.
Greg St. Jean believes believes LeBron James inspired Luka Doncic’s body transformation
Much of the offseason revolved around Luka Doncic’s body transformation as the Lakers star slimmed down considerably ahead of the 2025-26 season. Lakers assistant coach Greg St. Jean believes LeBron James inspired Doncic to get into the best shape of his life and it’s paying dividends during EuroBasket.
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