By Giorgos Orfanakis / info@eurohoops.net
Young Luka was introduced to the basketball public in the colors of Real Madrid, but the things he has achieved in the current EuroBasket have made even the most skeptical fan bow to his talent.
He finished the tournament as a champ, averaging 14,3 ppg, 8.1 rpg and 3.6 asp! We are talking about a kid that just turned 18 last February, but despite his youth, he stands next to Goran Dragic as a worthy partner in Slovenia’s backcourt.
In the quarterfinal against Latvia, Doncic stopped at 27 points, along with 9 rebounds and some clutch three-pointers. This particular performance bumps the next big thing in world basketball up to 2nd place on the list of the most productive performances of all time for an 18-year-old or 19-year-old player.
Starting in 1981, Eurohoops presents the Top 10 performances with a list that includes some “intimidating” names that prove the greatness of Luka Doncic. The No.1 draft of 2018, right now looks locked in!
Arvydas Sabonis (EuroBasket 1983)
In the EuroBasket of 1983, Arvydas Sabonis, the most talented big man to ever play on European courts, made sure he sent a message very early on for what was going to follow in the coming years of a brilliant career.
It was July 3rd when the then 19-year-old Sabonis went… wild in the colors of the Soviet Union against the Netherlands, registering the best performance for a young player in a EuroBasket from 1981 until today, with 28 points.
For the record, in the end, the charismatic center completed the tournament with an average of 17.7 points and led his team to third place.
Luka Doncic (EuroBasket 2017)
Luka Doncic’s presence on this list and, in fact, so high on the list, is, on its own, a rare badge of honor! The 18-year-old gave basketball fans a unique performance that included 27 points and 9 rebounds, with this particular appearance placing him above legends such as Toni Kukoc and Drazen Petrovic.
It’s also worth mentioning that Doncic is the youngest player compared to the others we are about to meet. His audacity, maturity, and guts are elements that one rarely finds combined in such a young athlete, but the Slovenian is here to make history! Actually, he’s already doing it…
Arvydas Sabonis (EuroBasket 1983)
A few days before the historic performance we saw at the top of the list, Arvydas Sabonis had filled Spain’s basket with 26 points in a game the Soviet Union lost, which resulted in missing the final.
In particular, it was as difficult for the Spaniards of the amazing San Epifanio (27 points) to prevail as the final score of 95-94 betrays, only for them to then lose the gold medal a few days later to the Italians.
However, one of the things we can remember from the EuroBasket of 1983 is Sabonis’s performances, with the 28 (June 3) and 26 points (June 1) that secured him 1st and 3rd places on this list. Together with Luka Doncic and Lubos Barton, they are the only ones with two appearances on the list!
Julius Michalik (EuroBasket 1991)
Julius Michalik didn’t have a great career but, even so, he can boast that he has registered one of the most productive nights for a young player in the history of European basketball.
On June 25 of 1991, Czechoslovakia prevailed 123-113 over Greece, with the 19-year-old forward going ballistic on the Greeks’ defense and finally stopping at 26 points!
It’s worth noting that in that particular tournament, the Greek national team finished 5th, Czechoslovakia finished in 6th place, while Nikos Galis emerged as the top scorer with 32.4 points per game.
Lubos Barton (EuroBasket 1999)
Lubos Barton retired at the beginning of the 2016-2017 season, completing a career that included, among other things, 69 appearances in the EuroLeague and 11 different clubs.
At an international level, the former player didn’t celebrate any successes with the national team of the Czech Republic, but he managed to get on this list because of the 26 points (0-for-5 in two-point shooting, 5-for-13 in three-point shooting, 11-for-11 in free throws) he scored in the EuroBasket of 1999.
This performance was essentially the reason his national team prevailed 83-72 over Greece, to then finish in 12th place.
Drazen Petrovic (EuroBasket 1983)
No matter how much you write about Drazen Petrovic, it’s never enough! For many, the best European player of all time could not be missing from a list about scoring. The reason is the 25 points the then 19-year-old Drazen scored in the EuroBasket of 1983.
On 3 June 1983, Yugoslavia went up against Germany in what was an otherwise inconsequential game since both teams had already been knocked out of the medal positions. What stood out on the court was the battle between Detlef Schrempf (20 points) and Drazen Petrovic (25 points) that ended with the latter as the winner.
This was only the first performance of the countless others that followed in Europe and the NBA for the Mozart of basketball! Truly one of a kind…