By Antonis Stroggylakis / AStroggylakis@eurohoops.net
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic had his first practice with the Slovenian national team Tuesday (15/6) ahead of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament that will be held in Kaunas, Lithuania from June 29 to July 4.
Doncic and Slovenia will be facing Croatia this Wednesday and Friday in their first preparation games for the Olympic Qualifiers. The Slovenian squad is already at the Croatian city of Rijeka where the first of these two games will be played and then will return to Ljubljana for Friday’s rematch.
Slovenia will be fighting for a first-ever participation in the Olympic Games and a return to a major international competition for the first time after winning the gold medal in the 2017 EuroBasket. At 18 years of age, Doncic was a big contributor to that success, earning All-Tournament honors.
Doncic had said that he will be available for Slovenia this summer earlier this past season and later confirmed his participation in the Olympic Qualifiers during his exit interview following the Mavericks’ first-round elimination to the Los Angeles Clippers. The two-time All-Star completed the regular season with 27.7 points, 8.6 and 8.0 rebounds and then had some phenomenal performances in the playoffs, finishing with 35.7 points (on 49.0 percent shooting), 10.3 assists and 7.9 rebounds.
Photo: Slovenian Basketball Federation