Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks is a competitor and will never turn down the chance to play for his country when he is called to do so.
Branding it as something special when he is called to suit up for Slovenia, the 24-year-old star said he will always answer the call on the premise that he is healthy.
The Dallas Mavericks star mentioned last week that he played for Slovenia even if his thigh was hurting. However, this will not alter his dedication to donning the Slovenian colors, Sports Illustrated reported.
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"It's not okay. At the same time, I have to prepare for one more game, and then for a whole season in the NBA," the third overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft said.
"I play no matter what, even in the Olympic qualifiers, if only I'm healthy," Doncic added.
Doncic wrapped up his FIBA World Cup stint by leading Slovenia past Italy, 89-85, to finish seventh in the field of 32 teams.
However, capping his first-ever World Cup stint was joining a list of 11 players to score at least 200 points in a World Cup campaign, FIBA.com reported.
"He's our wonder boy. He deserves to be among those big names. He showed at every game, every practice, what kind of kid he is. And he's gonna accomplish even more in his career," Slovenian teammate Zoran Dragic stated.
Off the court, Doncic knows how to repay appreciative fans. The Mavericks star threw his game-worn shoes to the stands, which was caught on video and shared by fibawc and NBA on Instagram.
Aside from that, there was another scene where Doncic gave his Player of the Game trophy to Filipino basketball player Prince Rivero. The former De La Salle University standout shouted that he and his wife had named their child after him, something caught and shared on social media by @doncicmanila.
Luka gave his TCL trophy to little Luka. #FIBAWC #WinForSlovenia #FIBA2023 #FIBABasketball pic.twitter.com/qYkzR6H464
— Luka Doncic Manila (@doncicmanila) September 9, 2023
Doncic is expected to take a breather and use the lull to heal before he starts preparing with the Dallas Mavericks for their 2023-24 NBA campaign.
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