Dončić justifies hype from Europe to find his way in NBA right from get-go
Ljubljana, 17 December - After winning all what can be won in Europe, including the EuroBasket with Slovenia in 2017 and the EuroLeague title with Real Madrid this year, Slovenian prodigy Luka Dončić was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA 3rd overall in the June draft.
New York, US
Slovenian basketball player Luka Dončić at this year's NBA Draft
Photo: Slavko Baranja/STA
The Euroleague most valuable player was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for the fellow rookie Trae Young on draft night to join the team featuring German Dirk Nowitzki, who has been playing in Dallas for 20 years to become one of the greatest European players of all time.
Although only 19, Dončić showed right away that Nowitzki could pass the torch to him, showing flashes of brilliance in the very first matches in the world's strongest league and displaying versatility rarely seen in a teenager.
Immediately embraced by the Dallas crowd, Dončić has actually been the best player on the team, starting in all games he so far played in to average 18 points, more than four assists and almost 7 rebounds for one of the best stat lines for an NBA rookie in recent history.
The excellent start earned Dončić the title of the Western Conference Rookie of the Month, a rare accomplishment for a European player, the previous one being won only in 2001 by Spain's Pau Gasol.
The other Slovenian in the NBA, veteran Goran Dragić, is meanwhile in and out of the line-up for the Miami Heat due to injuries after posting one of his finest seasons last year which earned him the first NBA All Star Game spot in his 10-year NBA career.