BY: Tony LiebertNot Giannis Antetokounmpo, not Anthony Davis, not Joel Embiid. Luka Dončić will be the future of the NBA. This is a photo of young Luka Doncic (in the green) celebrating with the future NBA player Goran Dragic and the Slovenian National team after a tournament victory. YOUTH CAREERAmatuer Career When Luka was 13 years old he signed a five-year contract with spanish Basketball club Real Madrid. Luka immediately standing out on the under-16 team. In 2013 he led Real Madrid to a Minicopa Endesa (end of the year national tournament between youth teams) win, while averaging 24.5 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 steals per game. In the 2014 season Dončić mainly played with Real Madrid's under-18 team and reserve team. Where he averaged 13.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, helping them win Group B of the Liga EBA, (the amateur fourth-division of Spanish basketball). By the end of the season, he earned all-league honorable mention accolades from the basketball website Eurobasket.com. In 2015 Luka won the under-18 Ciutat de L'Hospitalet Tournament and was selected to the All-Tournament Team, despite being two years younger than the rest of the team. In May of 2015, he also won the under-18 Next Generation Tournament, for which he was selected MVP after defeating defending champions Crvena zvezda Belgrade in the final. So he basically was the LeBron James of Europe in Middle/High School. PROFESSIONAL EUROPEAN CAREERReal Madrid Career On April 30, 2015, Dončić made his professional debut for Real Madrid in the Liga ACB. At 16 years, 2 months, and 2 days of age, he became the youngest player to ever play for Real Madrid in the ACB and the third-youngest in league history, only behind Ricky Rubio and Ángel Rebolo. He started out really slow his first season, only appearing in five games. In the 2016 season, at age 16, he debuted in the EuroLeague, becoming one of the first players in that league to debut before the age of 17. Through 39 games in the ACB season, he averaged 4.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. In 12 EuroLeague games, he recorded 3.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. In the 2017 season, Dončić began to get more playing time. On December 22 he was named MVP of the Round in the EuroLeague (player of the week), becoming the youngest player to ever do so, and he later in the same season he got the same award again. In the EuroLeague Playoffs on April 26 in a game against Darüşşafaka Luka played very well and shared MVP of the Round accolades with two other players. After leading Real Madrid to a EuroLeague Final Four berth. Dončić averaged 7.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3 assists that season. He was named EuroLeague Rising Star by a unanimous vote and also claimed the ACB Best Young Player Award. Slovenian National Team Career Between the 2017 and 2018 season for Real Madrid, Dončić led the Slovenian national team to their first EuroBasket title ever while averaging 14.1 points, 8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while being only 17 years old. While his teammate, Miami Heat point guard Goran Dragić took home MVP honors. Dragić after the tournament was quoted to have some strong words about Dončić, "He's a born winner. No, I'm not kidding, he already has a lot of trophies, and medals. I'm happy for him. Mark my words, he's going to be one of the best in the whole world." In 2018, Luka received a starting spot for Real Madrid after the team's star player Sergio Llull suffered a torn ACL. In October, Dončić was named EuroLeague MVP of the Round after erupting for 27 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. He was named MVP of the Round again two days later. At the end of October, he earned EuroLeague MVP of the month honors, becoming the youngest player to ever win the award. Following a 24-point outburst in 22 minutes versus Movistar Estudiantes on December 31, he was selected as Player of the Round in the ACB. He was later named ACB Player of the Month for December, becoming the youngest recipient ever. On May 9, he recorded the first triple-double in the ACB since the 2006–07 season and the seventh in league history. On May 20, he guided Real Madrid to a EuroLeague finals victory, then he was later named EuroLeague Final Four MVP. Dončić later won the EuroLeague MVP award, becoming the youngest winner ever, after averaging 16 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in the 2017 season. He also repeated as the EuroLeague Rising Star, becoming the third back-to-back winner of the award. Dončić also earned the ACB Best Young Player and MVP accolades, after helping his team defeat Kirolbet Baskonia in the league finals. On June 29, 2018, he parted ways with Real Madrid... So he was basically the most accomplished European athlete of all time before he turned 18. NBA CAREERNBA Draft Luka Dončić came into the 2018 NBA draft as arguably the most hyped European prospect of all time. Then three teams passed on Dončić. DeAndre Ayton, and Marvin Bagley III were first and second overall while, Luka was drafted third overall and then shortly traded to the Dallas Mavericks for a future pick and Trae Young. Rookie Season Dončić did not compete in the NBA Summer League, after a long season with Real Madrid. When the NBA season began you could tell that the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, and especially the Atlanta Hawks all regret passing on Luka. So far this season Dončić has averaged 19.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists a game, while only playing 32 minutes a game. Compared to LeBron James and Michael Jordan's rookie years. LeBron (19 years old) - 20.9 points, 5.5 assists, and 5.5 rebounds in 39.5 minutes per game Michael (21 years old) -28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in 38.3 minutes per game Recently on the 21st of January Luka became the second youngest player ever to record a triple double, only behind Markelle Fultz. Luka's best game of the season was when he scored 34 points against the New Orleans Pelicans, on only 16 shot attempts. Luka has obviously been terrific this season with triple doubles, 30 point games, and buzzer beaters. Dončić is well on his way to becoming this seasons Rookie of the Year, and one of the best young players in the league. Why Luka is Different You can obviously tell that Luka is arguably the most decorated 19 year old athlete of all time, maybe only behind Pele. That is the main reason that I think Luka has the "CHANCE" to be the greatest basketball player of all time. He has already accomplished more than LeBron James, or Michael Jordan did before the age of 19. While they were playing in high school and the NCAA, Luka was playing with grown men in the second best basketball league in the world. Dončić has the perfect modern NBA game. He can create his shot at an elite level, while being able to draw fouls at a great pace. Luka also has the ability to rebound and pass the ball at an elite level similar to LeBron James. Luka also has the best mentor possible, Dirk Nowitzki who was in a similar situation to Luka. The only thing holding Luka back from being the greatest ever is that he is european. I don't think that the U.S. sports media would ever let a european be considered the "GOAT" If Luka stays on his current pace, he has the CHANCE to be the greatest ever.
2 Comments
5/7/2019 04:26:39 pm
There is no argument that can make me believe that Luka Doncic is not the greatest foreign basketball player ever. I mean, the skills that he brings into the table is amazing. For the guy of his size, he can put the ball on the court pretty well. He has the court vision that allows him to pass to the right players at the right time. He also has a killer step-back move that make almost all of his shots unguardable.
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Tony Liebert
5/7/2019 08:17:00 pm
He is already so accomplished, and already unstoppable at 20 years old. I cant wait to see how he develops.
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