"Never happened before in my life": Seething Luka Doncic lets rip at referees over controversial EuroBasket calls

Germany v Slovenia: Quarterfinal - FIBA EuroBasket 2025 - Source: Getty
Germany v Slovenia: Quarterfinal - FIBA EuroBasket 2025 - Source: Getty

Luka Doncic's incredible EuroBasket campaign ended Wednesday, as Slovenia lost 99-91 to Germany in the quarterfinals. Following his team's elimination, Doncic slammed the referees.

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Speaking postgame to "Sport TV 1," Doncic said the calls against him early in the game contributed to his foul trouble, which eventually cost Slovenia a semifinal appearance.

"I won't say anything," Doncic said in Slovenian, per EuroHoops. "First, I got a tehnical two minutes into a game for yelling 'hello,' but OK. In a quarterfinal, that shouldn't happen, no matter what player you are. If you don't even get a warning first, then I don't know. But it's quarterfinal, fighting for semifinal, so I really don't know how they done that."
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When asked to elaborate on his comments, Doncic said:

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"I'd rather not talk about that because, I mean, it's better if I don't talk about it... because I got fourth foul at the start of the third so, that never happened before in my life."
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Luka Doncic finished the game with 39 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to lead his nation. However, in a separate media interview postgame, Doncic said he "could have done more," especially during the final quarter.

Slovenia went 3-2 in the group phase held at Katowice, Poland. Slovenia entered the knockout rounds in Riga, Latvia as Group D's No. 3 seed. It defeated Italy 84-77 in the Round of 16 to set up the quarterfinal match against Germany.

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Meanwhile, Orlando Magic's Franz Wagner and Sacramento Kings' Dennis Schröder led the Germans. They advanced to the semifinal and will face Finland, led by Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen.

Luka Doncic says Slovenia's 2025 EuroBasket run deserves 'respect'

Slovenian star Luka Doncic said postgame that he is proud of his teammates despite falling short of their goals in the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket.

“It wasn’t a good enough result for us; we aimed for more, but many people spoke disrespectfully about us," Doncic said. "We are fighting for Slovenia, for the jersey, we all give 100%, so kudos to everyone, we could have been on vacation, but we fought for every ball, we did our best.
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"Maybe I don't feel pride yet because the loss is still fresh, but I'm sure that in a few days I'll be proud of all the guys. It wasn't easy to lose the first two games and then bounce back to string together three or four wins. That deserves respect."

After winning the EuroBasket title in 2017, Slovenia placed sixth in the 2022 edition. With its elimination on Wednesday, Luka Doncic's Slovenia will finish seventh in the EuroBasket 2025.

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Doncic led Slovenia in every statistical category. The five-time NBA All-Star also leads the tournament in scoring (34.7 points per game) and is second in assists (7.1 apg).

Doncic will now have a few weeks of rest before the LA Lakers' training camp starts next month.

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Edited by Kim Daniel Rubinos
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