Luka Doncic Compares World Cup Stars to NBA Equivalents—And Nails It

The 27-year-old once again proved his ball knowledge goes beyond the NBA court.

Luka Dončić won seven titles with the Real Madrid basketball team. | Alex Slitz/Getty Images

Los Angeles Lakers and avid Real Madrid fan Luka Dončić compared the World Cup’s biggest stars to past and present NBA players, blending soccer and basketball in one very accurate video.

Dončić, who is a Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Community Ambassador, took a few minutes out of his hectic schedule to make some quick-fire comparisons between the biggest names in soccer and their NBA equivalents.

Starting with Manchester City star Erling Haaland, Dončić paired the Norwegian striker with two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant. The Lakers point guard, through a smile, then made sure to clarify that Haaland is a “young” Durant.

Dončić went on to compare Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé to three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić, before likening Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior to four-time NBA champion and the greatest shooter of all time, Stephen Curry.

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Dončić Weighs in on Soccer, NBA GOAT Debates

Lionel Messi (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo are the two greatest soccer players of all time. | Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images, Miguel Lemos/NurPhoto/Getty Images

When it got time to name the NBA counterparts for Barcelona legend Lionel Messi and Real Madrid icon Cristiano Ronaldo, Dončić gave the only two worthy answers: Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

The Slovenian compared Ronaldo to James while he saved Messi the honor of matching up with Jordan. Between the four players, they could fill up about eight trophy cabinets, considering the two NBA icons have a combined 10 NBA championships, while Ronaldo and Messi have a combined 81 honors.

And those numbers don’t include the list of individual prizes the four legendary athletes received over their careers. For Messi, Ronaldo and James, they can even still add to their illustrious résumés, even in the twilight of their respective careers.

Despite Dončić’s loyalty to Real Madrid, where he rose to stardom representing the club’s basketball team, he compared Jordan, the widely regarded greatest NBA player of all time, to Messi—all but revealing where he stands in the Messi vs. Ronaldo GOAT debate.

Watch the video here.

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