By Dionysis Aravantinos / info@eurohoops.net
After defeating Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul 85 – 80, Real Madrid is the new Turkish Airlines EuroLeague champion.
The 19-year old king of Europe is the Final Four MVP, capping off an unreal year. Doncic, 19 is the youngest player in EuroLeague history to win both the regular season MVP trophy and the Final Four MVP.
In 28 minutes, the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft put up 15 points, grabbed three rebounds, handed out four assists and scored 17 points in the PIR system. He also, became the fourth player in EuroLeague history to win the MVP in both, the regular season and the Final Four.
Throughout the year, Doncic had a phenomenal run, simply doing it all. He was named to the EuroLeague first team, was the rising star of the competition, the MVP, the Final Four MVP, while, he also led a historic franchise to its tenth EuroLeague title. Luka has done it all and he is just getting started at 19 years old.
As European coaching legend Dusan Ivkovic has said, Luka is more mature than Drazen Petrovic and Toni Kukoc were at that age. With everything Doncic has accomplished at his young career, he can be compared to all-time greats. Back in 1990, Toni Kukoc won the Final Four MVP with Jugoplastika at 22 years old, as was Dino Radja in 1989, and Arvydas Sabonis in 1986. Drazen Petrovic at 21 years of age, was named the Final Four MVP with Cibona in 1985.
No other player has come close to what Doncic has accomplished with Real Madrid at such a young age and that is another feat that makes him so unique. He not only proved that he is an elite NBA prospect, he also proved that he is one of the best (if not the best) European prospect of all time.
After dominating Europe’s best competition, the Slovenian ‘phenom’ is ready to take his game to a whole other level and prepare for his journey to the NBA. Even though he has not made his move to the NBA official yet, this would be a perfect way to cap off an incredible year at Madrid.
Stay tuned… the best is yet to come.
