Luka Doncic, NBA star and leader of the Dallas Mavericks, has confirmed that he will play for Slovenia during the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournament.
In recent days, no one had an answer to the million-dollar question, as the Dallas Mavericks superstar arrived in Slovenia with several injuries after the NBA Finals, which were won by the Boston Celtics.
The Slovenian national team will compete in the qualifying tournament in Athens, where they will be in a group with Croatia and New Zealand. The other group includes the host nation Greece, Egypt, and the Dominican Republic. Only the winner of the tournament will secure a spot in the Olympic Games.
Luka o igranju za #mojtim. 🇸🇮 pic.twitter.com/W7uF3gDJLN
— Košarkarska zveza SIovenije (@kzs_si) June 27, 2024
“I am tired, and I have injury issues, but my desire to play for the national team is as strong as ever. The doctors conducted thorough medical examinations and gave me the green light. Now, all my thoughts are focused on the tournament in Greece. We respect all our opponents, but we will give our best to reach Paris. I believe we have a team capable of achieving that goal.
Basketball is more than life to me. I truly enjoy being on the court and look forward to every practice and game. Despite the extreme efforts during the NBA season and my injury problems, I am highly motivated and full of energy for the upcoming games because I want to reach the Olympics with Slovenia again. I want even more than that; I want us to fight for a medal in Paris.
We were not lucky with the draw. We play against Croatia and New Zealand in our group, and the tournament is organized by Greece, which has a powerful team and will have incredible support from the stands. However, the atmosphere that awaits us will be an additional motivation to give our maximum and even more. We must stay focused and take it step by step.
I have already said that I had an extremely demanding and exhausting season, which would probably have been easier if we had managed to win the title, but the Boston Celtics were stronger. We learned our lessons, and I hope we will have the opportunity to fight for the throne next season,” explained Luka Doncic.
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