One year since the trade that rocked the NBA, Slovenia clearly has a new favorite team — it wears purple and gold.
In Slovenia, viewership of the Los Angeles Lakers on NBA League Pass grew by 955% — yes, 955% — since the Dallas Mavericks traded Doncic, according to data the NBA shared with The Dallas Morning News.
Since Doncic, who was born in Slovenia and plays for its national team, was traded last February, the Lakers are the most-viewed team on League Pass in Slovenia.
The NBA measured the 955% increase in eyeballs by comparing viewership from last season (Oct. 21, 2024 to Feb. 1, 2025) with this season to date (October 2025 through this month).
The Lakers are currently the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. Chances are Slovenians aren’t tuning in to watch Deandre Ayton, Flower Mound’s Marcus Smart or even the ageless LeBron James.
A svelte Doncic, 26, leads the NBA in scoring, averaging 33.6 points per game.
The NBA did not provide viewership data on the Mavericks before this story was published. With an injury-ravaged roster, Dallas is currently on the outside of the playoff picture but has No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg as a marquee attraction.
In Thursday’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets, Flagg, 19, scored 49 points, a rookie record for the Mavericks and the most-ever points by an NBA teenager.
Doncic climbing in jersey sales
Aside from viewership metrics in Slovenia, Doncic is seeing his popularity rise on another front.
Doncic’s No. 77 Lakers’ jersey ranks second in the NBA (behind Steph Curry) in sales for the first half of the 2025-26 season.
Over the last year, Doncic, who was named to his sixth All-Star game, saw a significant jump: He ranked sixth with the Mavericks this time last season.
The sales lists were created based on sales from NBAStore.com and Fanatics’ network of sites.
