'I'm Living My Dream': Luka Doncic Opens Up On Personal Life, Father, And Going To Spain Alone At Age 13

Luka Doncic was born to be a superstar, it seems. From a very young age, he started playing basketball and found his love and passion for the sport. 

In the NBA's Season Three release of 'Pass The Rock', Luka Doncic opened up about how he got into basketball at a young age due to his father, went on to give a small story about his relationship with his father, and then went on to talk about his career. 

“My dad played basketball, so he showed me the game. He told me, you know, just work hard and have fun.”

“We used to play one-on-one, but now he doesn’t want to play one-on-one because last time he beat me. So now he doesn’t want to play because he knows what’s going to happen.”

The video revealed his father did not pressurize him at all to pursue a basketball career, but was very supportive when he decided to do it. Sasa Doncic, Doncic's father, is a former professional basketball player and coach from Slovenia. He coached a number of Slovenian clubs after playing professionally in Slovenia from 1993 to 2010.

“Every time after school, I went to basketball outside, I had a court right next to my apartment… I’ve been playing basketball professionally for a long time. When I was 13, I went to Spain by myself.”

“Every day I’m living my dream, so it’s a really good thing.”

At age seven, Doncic started playing organized basketball for the first time. By the time he was eight years old, he joined Union Olimpija's Youth Academy and got his first professional contract from Real Madrid at age 13. 

Every young basketball player dreams of reaching the pinnacle of the sport at some point in their career. But Doncic was always an overachiever, flooded his cabinets with awards and trophies, and has now fulfilled his dream at just age 26. 

Doncic inked a three-year, $165 million extension with the Lakers to keep him in LA until the end of the 2027-28 season at least. After the end of that extension, Doncic is expected to become the first NBA player in history to earn an annual salary of $80 million or more, since he will become eligible for a five-year, $417 million extension with the Lakers. 

In the video, Doncic also mentioned that loyalty was one of the key things that made him stand out from other players, as he values it a lot. If it were up to him, he would've retired as a Mavericks player only.