Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Dončić is back with the Slovenian national team, ready to begin a new campaign after last summer’s disappointment.
The five-time All-NBA guard confirmed in a press conference covered by Ekipa24 that he will play in Friday’s exhibition against Germany, though he noted he won’t play the entire game.
“I don’t know. I don’t think I will play the entire match,” Dončić said. “It all depends on the game and other things. Now, for the first time in the preparation period, I played five-on-five at the national team training. I feel good.”
A Missed Olympic Opportunity Still Lingers
Dončić enters this summer’s preparations with a renewed sense of purpose after Slovenia fell short of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Despite his stellar play at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Greece, including a dominant 36-point triple-double against New Zealand in the group stage, Slovenia was eliminated in the semifinals by host nation Greece.
In that loss, Dončić finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, but Slovenia couldn’t overcome Giannis Antetokounmpo and a veteran Greek squad, falling 96-68. Dončić later praised Greece’s structure and experience while reflecting on his team’s shortcomings.
Over the course of the tournament, Dončić led all players with 27.7 points per game and ranked second in both rebounds (9.7) and assists (8.3). Still, the lack of Olympic qualification marked a frustrating ending to another demanding offseason.
No Blame for Vlatko Čančar or Josh Nebo
Asked this week about the late withdrawals of Vlatko Čančar and Josh Nebo, who were expected to play major frontcourt roles for Slovenia, Dončić pushed back on any suggestion of resentment.
“I didn’t resent anything,” he said. “As far as I understand, the club didn’t allow them to come. In the end, the Lakers allowed it, Milan didn’t. I’d rather not get involved in it, but that should be the player’s decision. In my opinion. Those two are not at fault.”
Both players left the team thin at the four and five positions, but Dončić praised incoming center Alen Omić, who was added as a replacement.
“Great. I did two training sessions. The atmosphere is great, Alen trains great, so I’m looking forward to playing with him,” Dončić explained. “I haven’t played with him yet. I’m against him. But he’s a different center than I usually play with, so I’ll have to adjust my game a little bit. Omić is doing his job great.”
Dončić mentioned that despite some concerns after a tumultuous NBA season in which the Dallas Mavericks shockingly traded him to the Lakers, it was an easy choice to play for Slovenia.
“There were some concerns, but in the end I think we all knew that I would play,” Dončić said. “As I’ve said many times, if I can, I will always play, so the decision wasn’t difficult.”
Building Chemistry and Embracing Leadership
With a younger Slovenian roster around him, Dončić has naturally stepped into a more vocal leadership role. He downplayed any notion of being the lone voice, however.
“Our goal is always a medal,” he said. “But I am not the only leader. I have the feeling that others also have a say. If you have only one leader on the team, you will not get anything done. You have to have several leaders.”
Dončić credited the young players for their intensity in training, saying, “The young people are training very hard and all credit to what they have done. Slowly, the older ones are leaving and the younger ones are coming in.”
The 26-year-old also confirmed that the Lakers have fully supported his decision to play for Slovenia this summer.
“They support me, they really support me and encourage me to the maximum,” he said.
Luka Dončić Talks Physical Transformation and Focused Preparation
This summer, Dončić arrived at camp appearing leaner and lighter — a result of a new training plan made possible by his extended time off.
“I get this question all the time. I think I was a good player before, too,” he said. “What drove me? Basically, we made a slightly different training plan. Well, I had a little more time. Last summer was really tiring. I played until June, then the national team, so there was no energy. This year I had more time.”
Despite ongoing questions about his conditioning, Dončić responded simply: “I think I was a good player before too.”
As for whether his leaner frame will change his playing style, he pointed to the limited sample size of five-on-five action he’s seen since reporting to Slovenia.
“We’ll see. We did two five-on-five training sessions, I hadn’t played five-on-five before,” Dončić said. “We’ll see.”
Pressed further on what was hardest in adjusting to the new training regimen, Dončić replied: “At first, basically everything, but it’s a matter of habit. After I got used to it, nothing was particularly difficult.”
Road to EuroBasket 2025 Runs Through Poland
Slovenia’s preparation this summer builds toward EuroBasket 2025, where Dončić will look to lead his country back to the medal stage. Slovenia is placed in Group D, with all of its group-stage games scheduled to be played in Katowice, Poland.
The group features stiff competition, including tournament host Poland and perennial powerhouse France.
Slovenia’s Group D Opponents:
Poland
France
Belgium
Iceland
Israel
Group-Stage Schedule (All Times CEST):
August 28: vs. Poland – 8:30 p.m.
August 30: vs. France – 5:00 p.m.
August 31: vs. Belgium – 2:00 p.m.
September 2: vs. Iceland – 5:00 p.m.
September 4: vs. Israel – 5:00 p.m.
The top four teams from Group D will advance to the knockout stage. All of Slovenia’s games will be broadcast on RTV Slovenija and FIBA’s Courtside 1891 streaming platform.
The first friendly match against Germany on Friday, August 8, will provide Dončić and his squad a chance to watch film and prepare for the tournament itself.
“You learn the most from matches when you watch videos and get a feel for the game,” Dončić said. “I like that we have a lot of matches. So we can see where we are.”
However, Dončić is unsure how many minutes he will actually play against Germany since it’s a friendly match. Regardless, it’ll be a valuable tool for him to ramp up into game competition.
“I don’t know. I don’t think I will play the entire match,” Dončić said. “It all depends on the game and other things. Now, for the first time in the preparation period, I played five-on-five at the national team training. I feel good.”