Photo: Sipa USA, Pixsell
As just a kid, Luka Dončić was meant to be a superstar. Growing up in a family of basketball players, his path has taken him from Ljubljana to Madrid to Dallas, and his name has become synonymous for the magic of playing
Lean back and enjoy the show! In a conversation about the leading names in the international basketball, Luka Dončić’s name often crops up. This young Slovenian basketball player has become indispensable on the NBA courts, winning the hearts of fans with his great game, charisma and dedication. Dončić’s is not only a story about sport success but also one about talent, work and determination that took him to the very top of the basketball sport. Luka Magic, as he is called in the Dallas Mavericks, is a real magic on basketball court.
Luka Dončić was born in Ljubljana on 28 February 1999. When he was still a young child, he had a keen interest in basketball and showed natural talent for it very early on. According to his family, Dončić first touched a basketball when he was seven months old and he played with a miniature hoop in his room at the age of one. Some will say it was destiny since he did his first training session for Union Olimpija at the age of eight, when his father Saša started playing for the Ljubljana club. The story goes that only 16 minutes into the training, the coaches saw his talent and moved him to the 11-year-old group. His ascent after that was almost meteoric.
When he was 13, he signed a five-year contract with one of the most famous international clubs – Real Madrid – where he went on to impress the sport audiences playing in the youth academy of the ‘royal’ club, breaking records and winning many individual and team titles. He reached the pinnacle in May 2015, when he won the Junior EuroLeague trophy and the prestigious award for the most valuable player in the competition. At the time, Dončić already participated in the training sessions of the first team, and Pablo Laso gave him a chance to debut for the senior team on 30 April 2015. That was how he became the youngest debutant in the league in Real Madrid’s history.
He played a total of 216 games for the Spanish sporting giant, winning 7 titles and rising to the very top during his last season in the white jersey in 2018, when he led Real Madrid to victory in the EuroLeague finals. He was named the most valuable player in the EuroLeague and in the Final Four and finished in the competition’s top five. In the same year, he won the Spanish championship and the most valuable player award in the Spanish league, making history with three MVP titles during the same season. Thanks to his many successful results in Madrid, in 2021, Luka Dončić was named an honorary member of Real, which is the highest distinction award this royal club can bestow. Like king Midas, Luka Dončić turns most things he touches into gold. For example, he won the historical first EuroBasket Championship with the Slovenian national team in 2017…
