Luka Doncic talks about joining Slovenia NT, duel vs. Giannis2024 June 27 16:23
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Luka Doncic once again confirmed that he’ll play for Slovenia whenever he can. He also talked about a possible matchup against Greece and Giannis Antetokounmpo, admitting that there’s basically no way to stop the Milwaukee Bucks star.  Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic joined Slovenia’s national team and took time with the Slovenian media to discuss various topics, including his decision to represent his country, a potential matchup against Greece and Giannis Antetokounmpo, a partnership with Josh Nebo, and more
Luka Doncic 
“It wasn’t that easy to make a decision, mainly because of all the injuries and the length of our season, but now I’m here, and it’s an honor to be here,” Doncic admitted while talking to the Slovenian media. “I didn’t doubt it; I didn’t even think much; I knew that in the end, I would be part of the national team.” “In the playoffs, I was only focused on Dallas and the games, but I knew how it would be. The Mavericks know that I will always play [for Slovenia] if I can, so there were no dilemmas,” added the Mavericks superstar.
 Luka Doncic
Doncic once again talked about the joy he feels while playing for his country. “I enjoy playing basketball very much. I’m really happy that it’s my job. Every time I wake up, and there’s a training session or a game waiting for me, I’m happy. It’s always an honor to play for the national team. I love playing for Slovenia. I always say that I will play for Slovenia whenever I can,” said Doncic. While discussing his physical condition, Doncic admitted that he’s far from being 100% healthy, but his overall situation improves daily. “All the injuries hindered me, then I kind of got used to everything and fell into the rhythm of the games, because they were scheduled from day to day. As for my knee, I wouldn’t go into details, but everything is getting better day by day,” he noted. Doncic and Slovenia are set to travel to Piraeus, Greece, to try to win a ticket to the Paris Olympics. Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Greece, Piraeus
Doncic admitted that he expects a difficult tournament while adding that it’s basically impossible to stop the Greek and Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounnmpo.
Luka Doncic
“We expect an exceptional atmosphere in Piraeus; we know that the Greeks are very loud; we know where we are going,” Doncic said. “We’ll face exceptional opponents, led by the Greeks and Giannis Antetokounmpo.” “I don’t think anyone has an answer on how to stop him, we all know what kind of player he is. It’s difficult to stop him, we can only limit his contribution a little,” he added. Nevertheless, the Dallas Mavericks star believes that Slovenia is capable of making its 2nd Olympic appearance in a row. “Playing at the Olympic Games would mean a lot, not only to me, but to the whole team and, I believe, to the whole of Slovenia,” Doncic said. “Qualifying for the Olympic Games is not easy; we have managed to do it once so far, and it would be an honor for us to succeed again.”
 Luka Doncic in Tokyo Olympics
“I don’t know if this tournament will be more difficult than the one in Lithuania; even then, the Greeks have an excellent team. We will focus on Croatia and New Zealand first, and we talked about how to proceed,” he noted. On Thursday, Slovenia’s head coach, Aleksandar Sekulic, decided to cut Mike Tobey from the extended roster, meaning that Josh Nebo will be the naturalized player who will represent the Olympics. When asked what he thinks about the potential partnership with Nebo, Doncic didn’t have an answer yet. “For now, we haven’t practiced five-on-five, at least since I’ve been here. Today we have the first such training, so I’ll be able to say more after Friday’s match with Brazil,” Doncic concluded. Slovenia’s 16-man extended roster:
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