Luka Doncic dreams of finishing his career at Real Madrid: "They raised me"
The Slovenian made history at the Merengue club before joining the NBA, where today he is clearly one of the best players.
Although Luka Doncic still has many years ahead in the NBA, the Slovenian is already thinking about the future. In an interview with Jason Gay from The Wall Street Journal (as reported by Eurohoops), the Los Angeles Lakers guard confessed that he would like to finish his career where it all began: at Real Madrid.
"To play for Real Madrid, you have to be very good," Doncic stated. When directly asked about the possibility of returning to the European giant, he didn't hesitate: "Definitely. They raised me."
Doncic joined the white club in 2012 at just 13 years old. After shining in the youth categories, he debuted with the first team and became the youngest player to wear the Real Madrid jersey, as well as the third youngest debutant in the history of the ACB.
In just a few years, he went from a promising talent to an absolute reference in European basketball. His final season in Spain was historic: he won the Euroleague in 2018, was the tournament's top scorer, and was named both MVP of the regular season and the Final Four. That same summer, he made the leap to the NBA.
A Role Model in LeBron James
Doncic doesn't envision playing until 40 like his current teammate LeBron James, but he does want to follow a similar path off the court. He told Gay that he is interested in becoming the owner of a sports franchise, even if it's not a basketball team. James has already done this as a minority partner in Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Liverpool FC.
LeBron's influence has also been evident in Doncic's preparation. The Slovenian surprised at the last Eurobasket with a lighter and more mobile version, the result of a summer dedicated to improving his physical condition.
He worked with resistance bands, deadlifts, and dumbbells to gain strength, along with agility exercises. He hired a private chef to start a diet with intermittent fasting and, for the first time in his life, took a whole month away from basketball activities. "For the first time, I stopped playing basketball for a month," Doncic shared. "Only physical training. And paddle tennis."
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Luka Doncic sueña con terminar su carrera en el Real Madrid: "Ellos me criaron"
