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Luka Doncic won't address Lakers extension talks until after Eurobasket
Brian Windhorst: He's playing for the Slovenian national team at the European Championships, frequently called Eurobasket, which is the most one of the most valuable uh tournament for the Europeans outside the Olympics. And he won the Eurobasket for Slovenia earlier in his career, probably the greatest moment of his career. They play six exhibition games leading up to the start on August 27th and that it could they could go as late as September 14th, which means he may not be back into the US if the Slovenians get all the way to the end until late September. And you know, McMahon will tell you that in the past when he's been playing for the national team, he has not done NBA business, including NBA contracts. So, he could certainly pledge his intention to sign with the Lakers. But do not freak out if you do not hear from Luka contractually until September.
Slovenia includes Luka Doncic in preliminary 2025 EuroBasket squad
Luka Doncic was placed in the preliminary squad of Slovenia for the EuroBasket 2025, as expected. The 19 candidates for a spot in the final 12-player roster were revealed by the Basketball Federation of Slovenia on Monday.
Marc Stein: Former Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson has been named as a special adviser to Slovenia's national team ... reuniting him with Luka Dončić. Nelson has a long history in the international game working with Lithuania’s national team.
According to our reliable information, Greg St. Jean will be working with the Slovenian national team during preparations and at this year’s EuroBasket as a member of the coaching staff. From well-informed sources, we’ve learned that everything has been agreed upon and prepared for the appointment of the 35-year-old as one of the assistant coaches to head coach Aleksander Sekulić, who will be leading the national team at this year's major tournament—first in the group stage in Katowice, Poland, and then—hopefully and confidently—in the knockout stages in Riga, the capital of Latvia. St. Jean will bring his knowledge and experience to the table and, of course, will continue to pay special attention to Luka Dončić, with whom he has worked (and continues to work) on multiple occasions.
Doncic has a busy offseason ahead of him as he also prepares to play for Slovenia. Despite the rigors of the NBA schedule, he said he continues to play for his national team because of the fans, via the “Mind the Game” podcast with LeBron James and Steve Nash: “[The passion from the fans] is why I play every year… That’s why I always play, because of pride and I like to represent my country. But you see, my country lives for sports. For how small we are, I think we have great sports people. Bicyclists, skiers, it’s a lot. But that’s when the crowd is into it. I think we give back a lot to our country, so that’s why the crowd and the people are really into sports.”
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Luka Doncic plans to play at EuroBasket for Slovenia
AFTER THE EARLY exit, Doncic will finally get to exhale. One source close to him says this season was "the most unexpected year of Luka's life." He will spend the summer playing for the Slovenian men's national basketball team at EuroBasket, sources said. He'll be accompanied by members of his "body team" -- Slovenian national team strength coach Anže Maček and physiotherapist Javier Barrio Calvo -- throughout the offseason.
Mark Cuban on Luka Doncic trade: We didn't take the time to understand him and that really led to this decision
Stephen A. Smith: One of the things that was reported, Mark Cuban, is that throughout his years as much of a generational talent as we all know Luka to be, his dad spoke out upon in the immediate aftermath of the trade because of the cynicism that was thrown in Luka's direction: Doing his own thing, marching to the beat of his own drum, controlling his circle to some degree, strength and conditioning, being in shape. All of these different things. Was it fair criticism? Was it exaggerated? Was he being maligned unnecessarily in your eyes? Mark Cuban: Everybody saw him. It wasn't like he was ripped and had a six-pack but what the biggest mistake was in trying to understand Luka is that he's from the Balkans, he's Slovenian. And you look at Nikola Jokic, who's Serbian, and you look at Serbian players in general, they're just a different mindset. They look at the game differently, they look at life differently, the guys that I've gotten to know from that from that region of the world are different and I think that was what was not considered as fully as it should have been.
Mark Cuban: You've got to understand what people are like, what their backgrounds are like, who they are personally, what their families are like, how they interact with other people, and from that part of the world in my experiences Luka was just, other than the basketball talent, he was just like every other guy. And I think that was one of the reasons, he loves to play with the Slovenian team, he relates so well to all the other players from that part of the world, and over the summers that's who he's hanging out with, that's who he is. So I don't think that we truly took the time to understand that, and that really led to this decision. And that really underpinned this decision, that lack of attention to that issue and I think that's here we are now.
Anze Kopitar, the only Slovenian to win hockey’s Stanley Cup, and Doncic, the only Slovenian named the NBA’s rookie of the year, were born just 38 miles apart and remain their country’s most popular and accomplished professional athletes. And though they talked on the phone occassionally and reportedly kept tabs on one another, they didn’t meet in person until 2019, when Doncic, then a rookie, came out to see Kopitar and the Kings beat the Dallas Stars. Afterward, they exchanged jerseys and posed for pictures.
“We’ve talked a little bit, but he’s got a lot of stuff on the go,” Kopitar said. “So we’re going to let the dust settle and then get an acclimated and all that stuff and connect.” Kopitar said his 8-year-old son Jakob is a big fan of Doncic so he expects he’ll be pressured into attending a few more Lakers games now. As for sharing housing tips on Southern California, where he’s lived for 18 years, Kopitar said he’s sure Doncic has all the help he needs. “He’s old enough. He’s going to want to pick wherever he wants to be,” he said. “But if he wants advice, I’ll be there to help.”
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While the NBA regular season is well underway, national teams are competing to qualify for FIBA tournaments held next summer. Luka Dončić, who takes pride in competing for his native Slovenia each opportunity he gets, will have a chance to do so again at EuroBasket after the national team’s dramatic 83-82 comeback victory over Portugal in Ljubljana. Dončić was eager to watch Slovenia’s two matches against Portugal, recently telling DallasHoopsJournal.com, “I like [their outlook]. They play in Portugal and then at home against Portugal. It’s exciting to watch. I wish I could be part of it, but obviously, I can’t. It’s going to be fun to watch, and I think we have a great chance.”
Regardless, Gafford conveyed his interest in potentially playing for the team in the future. The president of the Basketball Federation of Slovenia, Matej Erjavec, confirmed the details in an interview with Andrej Miljković of Ekipa24, saying, “He was asked if he would play for the Slovenian national team and if he was really surprised at first, he very quickly reacted very positively and that he is honored, and flattered by the initiative and that he needs time to think,” Erjavec told Ekipa 24.
Slovenia’s recruiting efforts in Dallas involved Luka’s father, Saša, who serves as director of basketball operations, and were focused on the coaching staff. The federation ultimately landed the commitment of Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney to serve on the coaching staff. However, while the federation was in town, Saša was eager to also recruit Gafford, who was the first choice for the team’s naturalized player slot of both Saša and Slovenia’s head coach, Aleksander Sekulić. “I can tell you that at the time, Gafford was absolutely the first choice of both Saša Dončić and coach Aleksandar Sekulić,” Erjavec said. “We were at the game in Dallas and after it we had a meeting with the leaders of Dallas, where we primarily talked about the coaching staff. Even they didn't know at the time that the Mavericks would go to the Finals, and we talked about Sean Sweeney being with our national team for the entire preparation. We agreed on everything…”
Gafford, who already orchestrated an offseason development plan with a focus to build on the success he was experiencing after being traded to the Mavericks, communicated his plans to Slovenia, prompting the federation to shift course. “We stopped at the fact that he cannot this summer due to previously agreed obligations, which he wanted to respect and fulfill. However, he emphasized that he was interested in the matter, but for now we have not discussed where and what we are now,” Erjavec said. “In theory we also have Gafford's door open. When the time comes, those in charge will consider how and what, and make their decisions.”
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