Luka Doncic breaks silence after Slovenia’s EuroBasket elimination, shares his anger and regret

Luka Doncic blames himself for crucial mistakes in elimination loss

The superstar guard expressed frustration with his decision-making during critical moments, taking personal responsibility for Slovenia’s defeat despite his outstanding statistical contributions.

“I’m angry, 100% angry. I could have done more in the last quarter, I forced shots, I could have done better in key moments, I didn’t make the right decisions… Kudos to the boys; we showed that we can win. We all fought, gave our best,” Doncic stated.

His self-criticism reflects the high standards he sets for himself in international competition.

Despite leading all statistical categories, Doncic focused on moments where he believed better decisions could have changed the outcome, like when he missed some three points in the fourth quarter.

The elimination particularly stung given Slovenia’s goal to silence doubters who questioned their championship credentials throughout the tournament.

Slovenia overcomes early struggles to prove analysts wrong about tournament potential

Doncic addressed critics who predicted early elimination for Slovenia, including analysts Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon who expressed skepticism about the team’s depth and championship potential.

“It wasn’t a good enough result for us; we aimed for more, but many people spoke disrespectfully about us. 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,” he added.

Slovenia’s resilient response after losing their first two games demonstrated the team’s character and fighting spirit.

They recovered to win three or four consecutive games before falling to Germany.

“Maybe now I don’t feel proud because the defeat is 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 get up and get three or four wins. That’s something to respect,” Doncic reflected.

The tournament run validated Slovenia’s competitive spirit while highlighting areas for improvement in future international competitions.