Many players who come from Europe to the NBA at a young age are projects who often barely play for their European clubs. Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic was an exception as he was the star of Real Madrid, leading them to a EuroLeague championship and winning EuroLeague MVP at just 19 years old.
And even though he is now an NBA superstar, Doncic still longs to grow the game he loves in Europe. The superstar is part of an investment group that recently purchased Vanoli Cremona, a northern Italian basketball team and Doncic revealed that it has always been his dream to own a team in Europe, via Tania Ganguli of the New York Times:
“Since I came to the N.B.A., my dream was always to own a team in Europe, especially because Europe gave me so much,” Mr. Doncic, 27, said this week in his first interview about the venture. Mr. Doncic was raised in Slovenia and as a teenager played for one of Europe’s top professional teams, Real Madrid.
“I grew up there, grew up playing basketball there,” he said.
Doncic may now be synonymous with the Lakers and NBA, but he will always hold a spot in his heart for what the EuroLeague meant for him and his growth as a basketball player:
“I am the player I am because of Euroleague — that will never go away,” Mr. Doncic said. “It’s obviously very important to me.”
Doncic and the investment group he is a part of, which also includes former Dallas Mavericks executive Donnie Nelson, have plans to move the team to Rome and have already submitted a bid to be Rome’s representative in the NBA’s plan to create a league in Europe. That league would have teams in major European cities such as London and Paris and hopes to start as soon as next year.
Winning an NBA Championship with the Lakers remains Doncic’s primary goal, but he also has big dreams outside of that and he is well on his way to accomplishing some of those as well.
Luka Doncic named to 2025-26 All-NBA First Team
Doncic’s first full season with the Lakers was an outstanding one before injuries derailed things down the stretch. Even still, the superstar guard was named to the 2025-26 All-NBA First Team after leading the league in scoring and pushing the Lakers to a top-4 seed in the West. It was nearly a unanimous selection as he received 91 of a possible 100 votes for the first team.
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