Inside Luka Dončić's Private World: Lakers Future, Rare Supercars, Family and Life in Slovenia

Are you uncomfortable being a celebrity?

A little bit, I would say, yeah, yeah, definitely.

But you know, I wanted to play basketball, so the fame comes with that.

Has that always been kind of who you are, just low key?

How then do you explain like the switch that gets flipped for you?

Yeah, that's what everybody that knows me say that, you know, I'm just completely different guy.

How do you explain that?

I think I'm just a lot competitive, you know.

I just wanna win.

Few people know the real Luka Dancic.

The introverted superstar turned pro at 15 and became one of the faces of the NBA by 21.

Making the life in the spotlight inescapable.

Sports Illustrated traveled to Ljubljana, Slovenia to uncover who Luka truly is as he prepares for the biggest season of his career.

Why did you like first start to love the game?

I don't know.

I just think my whole life, probably, you know, my father played basketball, so I was into basketball since I was born.

I'm 13 years old.

How does Real Madrid happen?

I think, I know I was talking about that tournament that happened in Italy when I was 12 years old.

Real Madrid and a lot of other European teams saw me, and they immediately said they won.

Did you want to go right away?

No, no, it was kind of a tough decision, you know, all my family will stay here, so it was tough to go alone, but I remember just one day I said I will go.

I want to play basketball.

This is the best European club, you know, it was probably one of my best decisions in life.

Those early days, how lonely was it for you, it was terrible.

Really?

Yeah, I think the 1st 23 weeks it was, it was terrible, you know, I miss home, I miss friends, uh, but then after 3 weeks, I was great.

I'm kind of shy, shy person, definitely.

If I know nobody, I, I don't talk, so I was shy, but after 3 weeks, you know, I started making friends and then just everything was smoother.

As we started recording this episode, the news broke that LeBron James would be taking his talents elsewhere.

When LeBron left, did he reach out to you at all?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And I reached out to him, you know, thank you for everything, you know, it obviously it was amazing being his teammate, as I say, you know , I learned so many things.

Did it hit you like he's gone now?

This is now officially your team.

You're the face of the Lakers.

Did that kind of hit you at any point?

No, you know, obviously, they're going to say it's a lot more pressure, but, you know, it's not really pressure.

It's, uh, it's an honor.

So they're, they're making all these changes and they've made a, brought a ton of guys in.

Um, how much did they ask you about?

What were your conversations with them like about what about guys to bring in?

Probably everything.

I was gonna say I'm, I'm not surprised by that.

I think we have a great team.

Do you feel like that is enough?

Do you feel like that you got enough pieces now?

Yeah, I think, uh, I think yes, I think we're very deep, which is very important, especially going to the playoffs, and you know, there's some guys that I'm obviously I play against them, but I get to know them, you know, personally, and I was really, really impressed by everybody.

Hey .

How did you come up with the idea to bring the team to Slovenia?

Uh, you know, we have a lot of new faces, so I wanted to get to know each other, you know, before the season starts.

You know, as a leader, I wanted to bring them out uh so everybody obviously they can see my country.

I think everybody was, was impressed and have fun, uh, but just to be together.

It's, I mean, it's huge.

I mean, you know, we're a fairly new team to one another, uh, so just being able to, you know, learn, you know, more about each other every single day, you know, not just basketball wise, but, uh, off the court.

We didn't run the footage back, bro.

We need to run the footage back.

No way we just lost.

first.

How much money for me to jump in?

I think that's really important for team success that we know things about each other that we hold each other accountable, uh, that we build this chemistry.

Had any of your other teammates in all your years playing come to Slovenia?

No, I, I don't think so.

No, and I never did something like that, so.

Why didn't you do it before, like in Dallas or something.

Uh, I think that was the start of like leadership, you know, by doing that.

Uh, You know, I I had to believe it a lot of times already, uh, so I kind of.

I know a little about it, uh, but I know this year is gonna be more and more important for me.

Like was part of that, like, you know, with LeBron gone, you are now the leader you have to be the leader.

Was that part of the equation?

It was for sure a little bit of that also, um, but also I want everybody to have fun, you know, come here, see my country, which is very important to me, you know, to see where I'm from and like I said, I think everybody enjoys it.

Um.

When you played some of those, I'm assuming scrimmages and things like that, like how was the chemistry with the new guys?

Were there things that you could immediately see?

Yeah, I mean, obviously Walk was on my team, so you know we had a couple values immediately.

He's one of the, the greatest point guards in the pick and roll in, in the league.

So if not the best, you know, I think it's gonna be a lot of fun.

But I think I was really impressed with Zair also or Colin, we call him bull, uh, I feel like he, he's not afraid of anything.

Oh yeah, I'm fine.

Let's go.

33.

Yeah Lucas's team bonding retreat in Slovenia served an even deeper purpose than just introducing his teammates to his hometown.

It was also an act of self care during one of the most challenging personal battles of his life.

You know, obviously I had a lot on my mind last year, uh, but, you know, I think this year I spent the whole summer with my daughters, uh, which is.

Which is amazing for me.

I was very happy just to be with them.

I saw in the photo shoot and even today working out you've had your bracelets on this whole time, special bracelets, yeah, my daughter made me this, the, the older one.

The young one still can't do it, but you know, she made me this and I'm I'm taking it off.

She'll be excited to see it on the cover of the magazine, yeah.

It was interesting seeing you in town yesterday.

The people don't bother you too much in Slovenia.

Yeah, I barely go out of out of town, you know.

I'm usually practice home golf course now when I have my daughters, you know, with them, uh, with them we go outside to like to like parks, and when I don't have, have them, I usually go to.

To the golf course Last year for your family situation, like how hard was that for you to, to deal with during the year?

That was pretty hard, you know, I didn't see them almost the whole season.

Uh, yeah, I can't go another season like that.

You want to spend time with your kids every day, uh, so last season was pretty hard, you know.

I saw them for 5 days in the whole city, which is impossible to do.

But you know, I had to focus on basketball and still perform.

LB was kind of saying like basketball court is kind of your your safe place.

You're happy with this.

Like we, you kind of take stuff out on the court.

Is that fair to say?

Yeah, it's fair to say.

I think that was a little bit of why I started playing golf too, every 4 hours outside, just forget about things, you know, take the phone out and just enjoy the golf.

The Lakers, I welcome you at Royal Blades.

Everybody can win.

It doesn't matter if you're skilled or not.

Luca has created something super fun and creative, and not the best golfer may win.

You point at me for that.

No, I pointed to AR.

This is a golf course.

I'm ready for Luca's shenanigans.

I think so.

What?

Hell no.

Austin, how do you think Luca is doing so far?

Oh horrible.

I hope horrible too.

Birdie That's, that's a shot.

This is Lucas.

Yeah, of course it is.

There you go.

Oh, don't record swing.

Swing's gonna be rough.

We definitely have the worst shot of the day.

Uh, golf is not great.

Uh, we're still trying to learn.

It's OK because you're, you're surrounded by this, you know, it's beautiful and it's hard to be mad in a, in an environment like this.

4 Dude, Chris, Chris, yeah, take, take a look.

I make this shit bet bet it .

No, hell no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, come on back.

No, no, no.

That was not right there.

There you go, huh.

We got a park.

Oh yeah, I just drove over there and talked shit to him for a little bit, so I'm sure we'll continue to do that all day.

Tiger Hoots.

How do I look?

Looks like I'm playing putt putt.

4, water, 4.

You just lost another ball, baby.

What do you think it's not?

I hope it wasn't me.

Thanks.

we What Although Luca frequents very few destinations, you'll definitely catch him getting to and from them in style.

So you're a big car guy?

Yeah, I have a lot too much.

Is this your favorite one?

Uh, no, it might be 2.

But what's your first favorite?

Bugatti?

What got you into cars?

I had basketballs and like little cars.

I mean I just loved cars since I was young.

This is one of 25 in the world, is that right?

Yeah, this one, yeah.

I really wanted.

I was a little lucky.

Yeah it goes fast.

I'm not gonna do it, but you drive fast normally?

Never.

OK.

For the camera never.

So you're a bit of a collector?

Yeah.

I have 2 old schools also.

Would you ever do like a car show?

Probably when I retire that would be nice.

Heard a little bit of chatter about this, but I need to hear it from you.

Is it a trick question?

It's not a trick question.

Regular question.

When you're driving in your, your one of 25 car in the world, what are you listening to?

It depends it depends on the mood, but I know a lot of music.

So I listen to American, Slovenian Serbian, Croatian, Spanish, so I, I'm hearing you're a big Backstreet Boys fan, Britney Spears fan, yeah, Michael Jackson, you know, I like, like I said, old school music, so if we go to karaoke right now you gotta pick one song oops, I did it again.

Brittany, I love it.

So what's your favorite show of.

My favorite one.

Two men and a Half, Prince of Bel-Air, Will Smith.

I like Friends.

I like the classics, yeah, they're always on the repeat, you know, even when you're doing something else they're on TV.

So here is, if you go all the way down this my .

My apartment And then I went to school through here.

It's like 2 more minutes, so I was walking to school all the time.

Although Luca drives one of the fastest cars in the world, he never let his roots disappear from the rearview mirror.

We visited the childhood court that shaped him, now renovated through his own generosity.

What do they call this court?

Lucca court.

But back then I don't think he had a name.

But you see like this, there was nothing.

It's pretty nice.

All this, this was never here.

The tennis courts were here.

What do you think about when you step over here?

I mean, there's so many memories, you know, and like I said, after every after school I went here every time.

No matter the sun, rainy, whatever, I was just out here.

I think I learned a lot of basketball here because there was a lot of older guys playing, so I had to make my way into playing there.

It's very nice, yeah, but, but that, that's the building I live.

What time did your parents let you play until until night when you couldn't see no more because we didn't have lights back then so that's why I came home.

Skateboarding Skateboard for fun or did you wanna like do something with it?

I mean, it was here, so I just wanna try it.

Uh, it wasn't fun for me, no.

Were you that way with other sports where you just want to be out?

Was this like the sport that you really wanted to be there all the time?

Yeah, I mean, basketball was that, but I wanted to play other sports also.

I mean, even now I just want to play sports.

How good a soccer player were you?

Not bad.

I, I also practiced that for like 3 years, so I went to practice.

Uh, I was a striker, so.

I was pretty OK, I think, but I always dreamed to play in the NBA also.

It's a dream.

I mean, when I was young there were so many good players, even now there's so many good players that I wanna play in the best league.

Much was made of Luca's conditioning following his shocking trade to the Lakers.

In response, he overhauled his year-round approach to fitness and nutrition, silencing his doubters.

I was reading that you credited your conditioning with not playing basketball for like a month after the season.

Did you do that again this year?

Do you feel the same kind of, uh, benefits?

I feel better, you know, obviously.

Uh, not playing for a national team, you know, kind of, I'm more rested, definitely .

Did you do the same things you did last summer?

Did you add anything to kind of this program that you're doing?

Oh yeah, golf, just golf.

OK.

Do you, do you feel like that's a workout?

Do you feel like, yeah, if you're walking, it is definitely because, you know, you get a lot of steps in.

Luca took his offseason regimen to another level, taking advantage of the surplus time afforded by his decision to sit out of international play.

Like every offseason, he's working really hard, had time to recover his body after uh injury and also after the season.

So this was the kind of thing that was a little bit different than previous years.

We need the body for one of them.

OK, Jesus, I get to get roasted by.

Luca and his Lakers teammates spent August 24th, affectionately known as Mamba Day, delivering gifts to children throughout a local hospital in Lbliana.

Uh, just the love and respect that, you know, he has for the country and the country has for him.

I mean, everywhere we've been, there's been people lined up waiting to see him.

It's awesome to be here and see where he was raised and, um, you know, everything that, you know, he embodies.

It's a guy like you from a place like this who just likes to be low key.

Like now you're kind of like you're the king of LA there.

I mean, that's, that's a real thing.

Like, I mean, you don't wanna be maybe, but like it's the Lakers, you know, and you're in your prime.

You're an MVP candidate like every single year.

Like, is that a strange feeling at all that, you know, I mean, I think I got used to it, uh, but it's still a strange feeling curious everything very small in LA so everything big, yeah, uh, LB was saying that you.

You said you'd rather play in like 7 game sevens rather than do a photo shoot.

Like is that just kind of who you are?

Yeah, I just prefer, you know, I guess, you know, being famous is More times you hate it than you like it, uh, but obviously.

A rare player.

Are you uncomfortable being a celebrity?

A little bit, I would say, yeah, yeah, definitely.

But you know, I wanted to play basketball, so the fame comes with that.

Luka Dancic never chased the spotlight, but from Slovenia to Madrid to Los Angeles, it always found him.

Now, with LeBron James gone and Luca firmly in the driver's seat of the Lakers franchise, he's making every effort to rise to the occasion, allowing his game to shape the narrative and silence all the noise.