Much has been said about Luka Doncic, some good and some bad. But the endless stream of praise falls short when discussing a player who is truly one of a kind, a generational talent. A clear superstar who is given very little room for error, constantly under the microscope, perpetually judged by the unforgiving court of public opinion—where battles that decide wars are won or lost.
He dominated headlines with the blockbuster trade from the Mavericks to the Lakers in February. Then came an unending barrage of criticism after the Lakers’ elimination, and from Dallas, where Nico Harrison tried to tarnish the player’s reputation to justify the unjustifiable: why he let him go.
Now, his stock has risen significantly after EuroBasket. The Slovenian dedicated his summer to getting into shape—for himself and for others—to improve and to silence the critics. And he certainly succeeded: by cutting out gluten and practicing intermittent fasting, he has lost over 10 kilograms. He’s leaner than ever, gym footage has gone viral (as everything about him does), and we witnessed him put together a simply spectacular tournament.
He came within one step of a medal with a team that has a questionable roster, especially when compared to some of his past teams or the squads of other nations. In 2017, Slovenia won gold at the continental championship with a roster featuring Anthony Randolph, Matic Rebec, Goran Dragic, Aleksej Nikolic, Klemen Prepelic, Edo Muric, Jaka Blazic, Gasper Vidmar, Sasa Zagorac, Ziga Dimec, Vlatko Cancar… and Luka Doncic. In 2025, eight years later, they brought Martin Krampelj, Aleksej Nikolic, Klemen Prepelic, Edo Muric, Rok Radovic, Robert Jurkovic, Alen Omic, Gregor Hrovat, Luka Scuka, Leon Stergar, Mark Padjen, and… Luka Doncic, the only repeat along with Prepelic, Nikolic, and Muric, with the dynamic trio all over 30. The notable absences of the naturalized (and now retired) Randolph and the elder Dragic, who was a major presence in the locker room, weakened the Slovenian national team, which has had no generational replacement beyond a Doncic who tries to do everything whenever he can. And he goes as far as he can, which is no small feat given who he has alongside him.
Numbers from another era
Doncic has never stopped being the protagonist at EuroBasket. He has scored over 25 points in every single game: 34 in the debut against Poland, 39 against France, a triple-double against Belgium (26+10+11), the same tally against Iceland, a 37+11+9 line against Israel, and a massive 42—his tournament high—in the round of 16 against Italy. In the quarterfinal loss (with controversy) to the mighty Germany, he finished with 39 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. His tournament averages: 34.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 2.7 steals per game.
Not bad for the Slovenian, who has done it all and in every possible way in a championship that ended earlier than hoped, but with a sweeter taste than many other defeats. And it doesn’t end there: Doncic has scored almost 37% of his team’s points in the tournament. To put that in perspective…