Miami Heat legend recalls how 10-year-old Luka Doncic’s basketball sk**ls amazed him

Luka Doncic rose to fame shortly after making his rookie debut in 2018. Although he wasn’t taken No. 1 overall, the Slovenian basketball star played better than every other Topic pick in his draft cla*s and in the past. Today, Doncic stands as a top three MVP candidate in the NBA, competing against a champion and 2x MVP, Nikola Jokic.

#Lukadonsick The move was later dismissed pic.twitter.com/ivdOfBwzeT

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Retired NBA star Goran Dragic recently made an appearance on Udonis Harlem’s podcast OGs. The former NBA All-Star highlighted a few points about his time in the league and the differences between playing basketball in Europe and the United States. But as always, Luka Doncic never fails to become the talk of the town and Dragic had nothing but praise for his fellow Slovenian athlete.

Goran Dragic always knew Luka Doncic would dominate the NBA

Goran Dragic competed in the Slovenian league before joining the NBA. The father of former Miami Heat Eastern Conference champion Luka Doncic won multiple accolades in Slovenia while playing alongside Sasa Doncic. Dragic knew Luka as a little kid because his parents would bring him to games.

he said “Yeah, he was like 3 [or] 2, he used to come a watch [the games]. You know, he’ll be at practice. His mother will bring him or his father. And then, when he was older, like 8 [or] 7, He will be a ball boy or come to watch the game.” An image featuring Luka Doncic, Dragic and the Slovenian national team holding a trophy.

Dragic continues, “Like we were champions here and Luca is there. Luca in the green jersey in every picture. It’s crazy. And when he was still playing, he was 10 [or] 11, he was still so influential. He will score 40, 50, [or] 60 points. He was already a hooper.” Luca made his professional debut for Real Madrid in 2015. He followed his father’s footsteps and also won a EuroBasket Championship in 2017.

Luka played alongside Dragic for Slovenia in 2017 and later claimed that was when he realized the 25-year-old would dominate. he said “We had a training camp for the national team two months before EuroBasket. He’s 17 years old and just watching him practice? Oh my god, he’ll pa*s something I don’t even know how he’s doing. He had such a good IQ at 17, as if I knew it. However, Dragic only expressed concern about his agility coming into the league.

Goran Dragic believes the Mavericks will eventually win a title

Right now, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks look like serious contenders for the 2024 NBA Championship in the Western Conference. In addition to running for MVP, winning an NBA title is a priority for Doncic since he competes in the Western Conference Finals in 2022.

he said “He can win. But maybe he needs to change a little. Maybe more faith [in] His teammates. I’m not saying [that he doesn’t] because he [does] Pa*s the ball but just drop the ball a bit more. Because when you have so many balls in your hands, you get tired. And then it’s a long season. Even in the playoffs, I think that’s too much.” But Doncic has never been injury prone and has even proven he can compete for long stretches without losing consistency.