Unlike American-born basketball players, many European basketball stars start playing pro basketball fairly early in their teens. That is true of Luka Doncic, who started playing for Real Madrid’s under-16 team at the age of 13.
In 2015, Doncic moved on to Real Madrid’s adult squad in the Liga ACB, and at 16 years of age, he became the youngest player to play for the squad in the ACB. He was taken with the No. 3 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks and was promptly traded to the Dallas Mavericks, who then shipped him to the Los Angeles Lakers in February.
Just before Doncic was a rookie with the Mavericks, he ran into late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant at a Nike camp, and he remembers Bryant giving him some advice on what to expect and brace for in the NBA.
Via Wall Street Journal:
“I remember him telling me: ‘You’re from Europe, watch out,’” Doncic says. “‘They’re going to come after you.’”
There is a tired old stereotype that European players are soft and lack swagger. That may have been at least partly true decades ago, but in modern times, men such as Doncic from across the Atlantic have proved that foreign players can definitely hang with those born in the United States.
The Slovenian native quickly became one of the best players in the world upon coming into the NBA. He won the Rookie of the Year award, and the very next season, he earned his first of five consecutive selections to both the All-Star game and the All-NBA First Team.
Many have gotten on Doncic over the last couple of years for being fat and out of shape. But this summer, he slimmed down and got in much better shape, which allowed him to dominate during EuroBasket 2025. It is likely a prelude to what could be the true start of his prime, which is a scary notion for the other 29 teams in the NBA.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: The warning Kobe Bryant gave Luka Doncic when Doncic was a teen
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
