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Before he joined the NBA, Luka Doncic dominated basketball courts all over Europe and had a lot of success in the EuroLeague. Despite playing in the United States for the past five years, the Dallas Mavericks guard is still a big fan of European basketball.
As a teenager, Doncic played for Real Madrid, one of the most prestigious basketball teams in Europe. Thanks to Luka's incredible skills, the team won the EuroLeague title in 2018, just two months before Doncic was drafted.
The Mavericks guard has compared the EuroLeague to the NBA numerous times. He recently revealed that he still watches European basketball, including his former team.
Luka Doncic still watches Real Madrid, his former team
Many European players struggle to play in the NBA due to different rules. From the distance of the 3-point line to different dribbling rules, there are many things European players need to get used to before they start playing well in the NBA.
Fortunately, this hasn't been an issue for Doncic. In his very first season in the league, the Mavericks guard averaged 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game, winning the Rookie of the Year award.
The talented guard recently spoke about the EuroLeague, saying that he still watches it. Doncic revealed his two favorite teams in the competition.
"I don't know if I'm learning. I just watch games," Doncic said. "Mostly Real Madrid and Red Star...learning team basketball."
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"I always say it's way different rules. A lot of times you can't play same in EuroLeague and in the NBA. I'm just enjoying watching it," Doncic added.
Considering that he's played incredibly well in both Europe and the United States, Doncic is well aware of all the differences between the leagues. Due to this, he understands that he cannot learn a lot from EuroLeague players as NBA rules are different.
Doncic's EuroLeague success
Winning the EuroLeague title is very difficult as the competition involves 18 top teams from Europe. However, this was not a problem for Doncic, who led Real Madrid to the prestigious title in 2018.
Back then, the guard was only 19 and was also named the EuroLeague MVP.
In the final game of the competition, Luka Doncic scored 15 points, grabbed three rebounds, and recorded four assists. In the end, Doncic's team beat Fenerbache Dogus 85-80.
You may be interested in reading: “But here in Europe the team defense is more impressive obviously”- Luka Doncic on comparing NBA and Euro defenses
Despite his impressive performances in Europe, Doncic wasn't the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. The Phoenix Suns picked Deandre Ayton with the first pick, while Marvin Bagley III was picked second by the Sacramento Kings.
Guess the Lakers players!
