Chris Bosh, Luka Doncic among NBA stars headlining 'Night of the Dragon' farewell game for ex-Heat guard
Goran Dragic's farewell game is gaining some attention with Luka Doncic and Chris Bosh reportedly set to join a field of other NBA greats including Dirk Nowitzki, Nikola Jokic and Luol Deng that will feature in the matchup.
Dragic is retiring after 15 NBA seasons, with his farewell game set to take place on Aug. 24. Dragic was a trailblazer for Slovenian basketball players and the European basketball landscape as a whole.
His impact on European players in today's NBA can be seen across the league as many players from overseas will feature.
Goran Dragic helped pave the way for players like Doncic and Jokic, following Nowitzki as two of the most successful European players in NBA history.
In 15 seasons, Dragic averaged 13.3 points, 4.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game, shooting 46% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc for his career.
Dragic was named an NBA All-Star in 2017-18 for the Miami Heat, All-NBA third-team and NBA Most Improved Player in 2013-14 for the Phoenix Suns and is the NBA all-time leading Slovenian scorer, with Luka Doncic set to pass him this season.
Dragic played for seven NBA teams in his 15 seasons and will go down as one of the great Slovenian players in NBA history.
Lakers legend Michael Cooper calls Luka Doncic "lazy" on podcast
Despite Doncic's outstanding offensive production, the young superstar has received plenty of criticism for his play on the defensive side of the ball.
On Michael Cooper's podcast "Showtime with Coop", the Lakers legend was asked to start, bench and cut Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic.
Cooper chose to bench the Slovenian while starting Damian Lillard and cutting Kyrie Irving. He said:
"Luka gives you that triple-double almost any night, but he's too slow for me. If he wasn't a scorer I would cut him.
"To me, he's lazy. Doesn't hustle back on defense," he added.
The comment shocked fans, especially given Doncic's improved defensive efforts and performances come playoff time, where he recently led the Dallas Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals before being overmatched by the Boston Celtics.
Dallas' superstar point guard is fresh off his best season, averaging a league-leading 33.9 ppg, 9.8 apg and 9.2 rpg, connecting on 49% of his shots from the field and 38% from behind the arc.