Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic Not Ruling Out Playing for Slovenian National Team After NBA Finals

BOSTON — The current focus for Luka Doncic is on guiding the Dallas Mavericks to a successful series against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, potentially achieving his first championship.

Doncic has averaged 28.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 8.8 assists in 17 postseason games, producing the longest postseason run of his NBA career and his second Western Conference finals appearance over the previous three seasons.

"Amazing. First time here. Hopefully it's not the last game," Doncic said of reaching the NBA Finals. "But never take it for granted. You never know if you are going to come back, so just enjoy the experience.

Jun 5, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) during the NBA Finals Media Day at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports | Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

When the series is over, there will be a quick turnaround if Doncic intends to play in the pre-Olympic qualifier tournament in Piraeus, Greece, to clinch a Slovenia placement on July 2-7.

On the NBA Finals media day, Doncic was asked about his plans to compete for the Slovenian national team. He noted that depending on how his knee feels as he manages a sprain, he will compete with his national team to help clinch an Olympic birth.

"Yeah, I think we'll see how my knee is. But if it's a good, I'm going to go play, yeah," Doncic said.

The original question to Doncic mentioned an estimate of him playing nearly 95 games by the time the NBA Finals ends, but the Slovenian superstar kindly corrected that, saying, "More games. You forgot, what was it, World Cup before the season (smiling)."

Doncic has played for the Slovenian national team every chance he's gotten to do so, including attempting to guide the team at the FIBA World Cup in Okinawa and Manila, resulting in a seventh-place finish—the best in the program's history.

Doncic was included on Slovenia's 16-man roster, including Klemen Prepelic, Jaka Blazic, Zoran Dragic, Mike Tobey, Vlatko Cancar, Aleksej Nikolic, Ziga Dimec, Gregor Hrovat and Edo Muric. Cancar will be returning from an ACL tear.

Slovenia will face Croatia first in Pireaus on July 2, then will take on New Zealand on July 4 in Group B. Doncic will be needed to handle a group that includes Giannis Antetokounmpo, who reportedly committed to competing for Greece.

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