Luka Dončić Says He Avoids Technical Fouls by Cursing at Refs In Foreign Languages
Luka Dončić has found his own unique way to avoid technical fouls: cussing at officials in a foreign language.
Dončić, who is fluent in English, Serbian, Spanish and Slovenian, said he has a habit of using the language barrier to his advantage with officials.
"Everything comes out a little bit," Dončić told Tim MacMahon of ESPN. "I know some bad words in other languages, too."
The Dallas Mavericks star has been one of the NBA's most demonstrative players over the course of his career. Dončić has racked up exactly 15 technical fouls each of the last two seasons, with a 16th being rescinded by the NBA in both seasons. When a player reaches 16 technical fouls, they are automatically suspended for one game.
If Dončić did not use his language fluency to his advantage, it's unlikely he would have avoided a suspension and might have missed a chunk of games due to his on-court demeanor.
It's fair to criticize Dončić's inability to keep his competitive nature within the bounds of what officials deem acceptable, especially as it potentially leaves the Mavericks without their best player. That said, his workaround seems to be doing just fine so far.
