Luka Dončić (/ˈluːkə ˈdɒntʃɪtʃ/ LOO-kə DON-chitch;[1] Slovene: [ˈlùːka ˈdòːntʃitʃ]; born February 28, 1999) is a Slovenian professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the Slovenian national team and is widely regarded as one of the greatest[under discussion] European players of all time.[2]
Dončić was a youth player fo
r Union Olimpija before joining the youth academy of Real Madrid. In 2015, he made his debut for the academy's senior team at age 16, becoming the youngest in club history. He made his senior debut for Slovenia in 2016 at only 17 years of age. He later helped his country win its first EuroBasket title, in 2017, while also being named to the All-Tournament Team. Dončić led Madrid to the 2018 EuroLeague title, winning the EuroLeague MVP and the Final Four MVP. He was named the ACB Most Valuable Player and won back-to-back EuroLeague Rising Star and ACB Best Young Player awards. Dončić was also selected to the EuroLeague 2010–20 All-Decade Team.[3]
In 2018, Dončić declared for the NBA draft, where he was drafted third overall by the Atlanta Hawks and then traded to the Dallas Mavericks.[note 1] Dončić was unanimously selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and won Rookie of the Year for the 2018–19 season. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2023–24 season, becoming the first European to lead the NBA in scoring and second international player to achieve the feat. That season, he led the Mavericks to their third NBA Finals appearance. Dončić is also the Mavericks' franchise leader in career triple-doubles,[6] and holds the record for most points in a Mavericks season.[7] Dončić was abruptly dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers in the middle of the 2024–25 season in a controversial blockbuster trade that is regarded as one of the most shocking and unexpected trades in American sports history.[8]
