Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images

Slovenia’s Luka Doncic admits anger and regret after EuroBasket elimination

Originally posted on HITC | By Bergas Agung | Last updated Sep 11, 2025 7:58 AM ET

Slovenia’s run at EuroBasket 2025 came to an end with a 99-91 defeat to Germany in the quarterfinals, despite a big night from Luka Doncic.

Doncic finished with 39 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, but even that wasn’t enough to keep Slovenia’s tournament hopes alive. He finished the event as the leading scorer at 34.7 points per game and was also nominated for Best Defensive Player.

But those honours didn’t do much to soften the blow of missing out on his main goal – another title for Slovenia.

Doncic points finger at himself after Slovenia exit

Despite putting up big numbers, Doncic was quick to criticise his own decision-making, particularly in the fourth quarter.

“I’m angry, 100% angry. I could have done more in the last quarter,” Doncic admitted. “I forced shots, could have done better in key moments, didn’t make the right decisions… Kudos to the boys; we showed that we can win. We all fought, gave our best.” This is far from the first time Doncic has put his hand up after a loss.

https://twitter.com/EuroBasket/status/1965876126489673962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

This sort of reaction is nothing new for Doncic. He often puts responsibility on himself when things don’t go Slovenia’s way.

Slovenia had come into EuroBasket hoping to prove a point to those who doubted their title chances and it made their exit even tougher to take.

Slovenia push back against early criticism to reach quarterfinals

Early in the tournament, Slovenia faced doubts from analysts like Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon, who questioned the team’s depth and chances of making a deep run.

Doncic addressed those remarks after the match. “It wasn’t a good enough result for us; we aimed for more, but many people spoke disrespectfully about us,” he 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.”

Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images

After dropping their first two games, Slovenia responded well by stringing together three or four consecutive wins before running into Germany.

Reflecting on the journey, Doncic added: “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.”

The tournament run highlighted both Slovenia’s competitive spirit and areas where they’ll need to improve ahead of future international competitions.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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