Last Hurrah: Goran Dragic Joins Luka Doncic for EuroBasket Title Defense
Earlier this summer when the Slovenian national team won two Wold Cup Qualifier games against Croatia and Sweden, many Mavericks fans believed the next time they'd see Luka Doncic and Goran Dragic as teammates would be in Dallas when the 2022-23 season gets underway. This was because Dragic was expected to retire from international play, plus the Mavs were yet again rumored to be his next team in free agency.
Alas, it wasn't meant to be, as Dragic ultimately signed with the Chicago Bulls. The Mavs offered Dragic a contract, but the "cheerleader" role they envisioned for him wasn't something he wanted to sign up for. ... And who can blame him after the stellar performances he and Doncic had in early July?
Well, as it turns out, Dragic isn't retiring from international play just yet, which means Doncic will get to be his teammate at least one more time. On Friday, Dragic tweeted out a picture of him holding the 2017 EuroBasket championship trophy with the caption, "I'M BACK." It is assumed that this will be Dragic's last hurrah with Slovenia.
Although Mavs fans will mostly be tuning into EuroBasket play to see Doncic in action, the addition of Dragic increases Slovenia's chances of a repeat. In 2017, Slovenia defeated Serbia in the EuroBasket finals. Dragic led the way with 35 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Doncic, who was just 18 years old at the time, pitched in with eight points, seven rebounds and one steal.
Although Doncic was already a good player back then, it doesn't compare to what he has become now at the age of 23. Not only does he have three All-NBA First Team appearances and a handful of signature playoff moments, but Doncic also got Slovenia to the medal round in the Tokyo Olympics last summer. In his first ever Olympics outing, Doncic put up 48 points in a 118-100 win over Argentina.
You're not going to want to miss EuroBasket 2022, which begins on September 1. Stay tuned to DallasBasketball.com for more information on how you can watch in the coming weeks.
You can follow Dalton Trigg on Twitter at @dalton_trigg
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