Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Luka Doncic Decision Made on Slovenia's Next EuroBasket Prep Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Deveney | Last updated Aug 10, 2025 12:41 AM ET

For Lakers star Luka Doncic, apparently the Slovenian national team has seen enough to rest assured he will be on the roster that the team brings to Poland for the opener of the EuroBasket tournament late this month. Doncic logged 18 points in 24 minutes against Germany in the team's first tune-up friendly in Slovenia, and won't get any action in the second tune-up, against Germany but in Mannheim this time.

As the national team's X account wrote, "#mojtim arrived in Germany with fourteen basketball players. Coach Aleksander Sekulic made a cut among the national team players and thanked the young Vito Hrabar after the match in Stozice. Eda Muric and Luka Doncic are also not in Mannheim."

#mojtim je v Nemčijo pripotoval s štirinajstimi košarkarji. Selektor Aleksander Sekulić je opravil rez med reprezentanti in se je po tekmi v Stožicah zahvalil mlademu Vitu Hrabarju. V Mannheimu prav tako ni Eda Murića in Luke Dončića.@TelemachSi I @TriglavGroup pic.twitter.com/bD8x5xpUXn
— Košarkarska zveza SIovenije (@kzs_si) August 9, 2025

Slovenia will play another pre-tournament game on Aug. 15, against Lithuania in Lithuania.

Luka Doncic Eager for Good EuroBasket Showing

Doncic spoke this week about Slovenia's entry in EuroBasket, which he may be taking a bit more seriously this time around. Doncic has had a busy year, with the trade from the Mavericks to the Lakers, followed by a ramp up of conditioning that saw him attract considerable attention for his weight loss and a new three-year extension from the Lakers on the books.

But the inability of Slovenia to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics still stings for him and he's eager to carry the team farther this year, even if he knows he needs better help.

“Our goal is always a medal,” he said. “But I am not the only leader. I have the feeling that others also have a say. If you have only one leader on the team, you will not get anything done. You have to have several leaders.”

For Slovenia, the real games begin on Aug. 28 against Poland in Katowice, Poland. Both Slovenia and Poland are top candidates to win Group D, which includes favored France, Finland, Iceland and Israel.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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