On Aug. 16, Luka Doncic's Slovenia and Latvia faced each other in an exhibition game at Xiaomi Arēna in Riga, Latvia, ahead of EuroBasket. According to a news report on X, the Latvian team reportedly paid for the Slovenian players' plane tickets to travel to the country.Kaspars Cipruss, the General Secretary of the Latvian basketball association, was asked if the team really paid for Luka Doncic and his teammates' tickets. Cipruss confirmed the report and cited Doncic's presence for the spending."Yes. We paid for the Slovenians' plane tickets. That was the only way Luka Dončić would come," he said. "Without him, we would have sold 60 to 70% of the tickets, but with him the arena was sold out.""People were waiting in front of the hotel for an autograph. That has never happened in Latvia before."Cipruss also added that it was a straight "commercial decision" and he wanted to bring one of the most popular athletes in the world and which required spending money.This will be one of the most memorable years for Doncic and his basketball career. As much as the LA Lakers star was scrutinized since the shocking trade from the Dallas Mavericks, the Slovenian star quickly took control of the narrative.The time before the EuroBasket 2025 has allowed fans and teams to truly appreciate the generational talent that Doncic has represented since a very young age. At the top of his career, Doncic now enjoys a superstar status across the world, and the latest story from EuroBasket is just a testament to that.European star showers praise on Luka Doncic ahead of EuroBasketLuka Doncic started playing basketball in Europe as a kid. Doncic was just 16 when he started playing for the Real Madrid basketball team. Competing with adults, he made history as the youngest player to ever play for the team.Doncic earned the respect of his fellow European stars at a very young age, and one among them was Mateusz Ponitka. The Polish basketball forward showered praise on the Lakers star ahead of the EuroBasket."He is a special player because he has everything, his intelligence and intuition are incredible," Ponitka said. "I talked to a friend and we came to the conclusion that this type of player like him is born once every 50 years."Luka Doncic and his Slovenian team will start competing in the EuroBasket on Friday. Doncic also has a big responsibility guiding the Lakers to a successful season when he returns to play for the Purple & Gold later this year.