Lakers' Luka Doncic Explains How He Fell In Love With Basketball Growing Up

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić explained how he fell in love with basketball growing up during an interview with Hall of Famer Steve Nash on the Mind the Game podcast.

"Well, for me, I wasn't good at any other sports, except soccer," Doncic said.

"I was playing a lot of sports. Tennis, soccer, basketball were the main ones. I played volleyball. So it was for me, it was fun to just do sports. And then I went outside, you know, after school, I went outside every time...

Doncic then clarified that he played every sport outside but mostly basketball.

He also noted the influence of being a ball boy growing up. His father is Saša Dončić, who played professionally from 1993-2010 and coached from 2010-2022. Dončić played for Slovenian club teams, including Olimpija, who his son worked for as a ball boy.

"Yeah, for sure," Dončić said when asked if his father had an influence on him.

"Like I went to his games. When I started, like being a ball boy, I was a lot of ball boy in Euroleague games, I was ball boy for Olimpija, so that's how I used my time.

Dončić noted that he would play before, during and after games, as well as at halftime.

Obviously, his love of basketball has translater. The 26-year-old is a five-time All-NBA First Teamer and five-time All-Star who has averaged 28.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists over his career. He also recently led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2024 after averaging a career-high 33.9 PPG during the regular season.

The Mavs traded Dončić to the Lakers in February. Now the superstar is embarking on a new path in Los Angeles as he searches for his first career NBA title.