A “frustrated” Luka Doncic slammed his Slovenian teammates after they went 1-5 in preparation for EuroBasket 2025.
Luka Doncic’s Slovenia has been the centre of attention in the build-up to EuroBasket, as NBA fans keep a close eye on the superstar’s individual efforts. Doncic underwent a drastic body transformation this summer, making the Los Angeles Lakers star one of the front-runners for MVP.
He has impressed with his efforts. The Slovenian captain scored 28 points in as many minutes against Great Britain, returning from an injury scare Doncic suffered against Latvia. But his team’s efforts have been less captivating, as Doncic made his feelings known about them after a loss to Nikola Jokic’s Serbia.
Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty ImagesLuka Doncic voices frustrations to the Slovenian national team after loss to Nikola Jokic’s Serbia
Doncic’s Slovenian teammates said he was more vocal when he returned to national team play this summer. They all got a taste of that after a 34-point loss to Serbia in their final EuroBasket preparation game.
According to SportKlub, he vocalised his frustrations at his team after the game. Martin Pavcnik wrote, “Behind the tightly closed doors of the dressing room, however, a visibly frustrated captain Luka Dončić also played his part. He reportedly addressed a few direct words to his teammates.”
His teammate, Edo Muric, said Doncic’s speech brought the team closer together. He said, “I don’t like to talk about what’s going on in the team. Yes, we had a conversation. We cleared up a lot and told each other. This defeat brought us together even more.”
“A slap in the face” was how Muric described the loss to Serbia. But he thinks that the team will bounce back emphatically in their EuroBasket opener against Poland.
He continued, “If we’re not 100 percent, everybody can beat us. Yes, it was a slap in the face. We just won’t allow ourselves to do that anymore.
“I might have thought differently if Serbia had beaten us by ten points. With a defeat like that, the feeling was so bad that I’m not worried about the reaction in Thursday’s game against Poland.”
Slovenia’s EuroBasket group, France ready for blockbuster clash
Slovenia, with an 18-year-old Doncic playing alongside Goran Dragic, was the shock of EuroBasket in 2017, winning the tournament. Now, Doncic hopes to correct the team’s recent form and drag his team into the medals.
EuroBasket features some of the NBA’s best talent, but Slovenia has one of the lighter groups in the tournament. Group D features Iceland, Belgium, Poland, and Israel. Poland beat Slovenia in the Quarter-Finals in 2022, but shouldn’t pose too much of a threat this year.
They have one powerhouse to contend with: 2024 Olympic Silver Medallists, France. Doncic is the best player in the group, but he’s the only NBA player on his side compared to the five who suit up for France.
Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, and Evan Fournier won’t be suiting up for the tournament. However, promising young NBA talent, such as the Washington Wizards’ pairing of Bilal Coulibaly and Alexander Sarr, makes them a threat to Slovenia.
They play each other on Saturday, August 30, in Slovenia’s second game of the tournament. That follows their match against Poland on Thursday, August 28. Those two matchups will give a true insight into how far Doncic and Slovenia can go.