By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Slovenia will feature Goran Dragic in the 2022 EuroBasket. The new point guard of the Chicago Bulls announced his participation via a post shared on social media Friday.
Dragic, 36, was included in the preliminary list recently released by the Basketball Federation of Slovenia. “I’m back,” he wrote echoing Michael Jordan’s 1995 statement and removing the initial asterisk regarding his participation. Sharing the court once more with Luka Doncic is coming up for the Dragon.
The experienced point guard was retired from international action but made himself available in the recent international window centering on the last batch of games of the previous round of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, earlier in the offseason. Initially presented as a farewell tour, he fell short of confirming his retirement after helping Slovenia finish second in Group C and enter Group H with a 4-2 record in hand.
Back in 2017, supported by Doncic debuting with the Slovenia senior national team, Dragic led Slovenia to the EuroBasket championship and was named tournament MVP. The crowning achievement of his career and Slovenian basketball overall followed a long run including participation in three World Cups and three earlier editions of EuroBasket since 2006.
In this case, Slovenia will take on Lithuania, Hungary, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Germany, and France in the preliminary round of EuroBasket. Ranking first through fourth in Group B would punch in the ticket from Cologne to Berlin and the knockout stage of the tournament. In late August, a home game versus Estonia and a road game versus Germany will tip off the final round of the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers.
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL