Watch: Luka Doncic looks in phenomenal shape and is ready to dominate at the 2023 FIBA World Cup
Luka Doncic may be the biggest NBA star to take part in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, with other top-tier players opting to rest. The Slovenian star looks beefed up weeks before the tournament begins.
In a video posted by BasketNews on Twitter, Doncic can be seen attending practice with the Slovenian national team for the first time and looking more jacked than his usual Dallas Mavericks self.
Luka Doncic arrives to begin World Cup preparations with Slovenia 🇸🇮🔥
pic.twitter.com/69gNGP0Uo9
Slovenia will be playing their group games in Okinawa, Japan, and are bracketed with Georgia, Venezuela and Cabo Verde. They are the favorites to come out of their bracket as they own the highest FIBA ranking at seventh.
Luka Doncic is one of the few NBA players in the Okinawa bracket, with Cabe Verde having Edy Tavares and Toko Shengeila playing for Georgia.
Luka Doncic and Jason Kidd in Slovenia together as Luka gets ready for the FIBA World Cup!
📸 @kzs_si
@luka7doncic @RealJasonKidd pic.twitter.com/ALL12aUJ1x
The last time Doncic represented Slovenia was during the Olympics where they fell short of a Bronze medal after losing to Australia, 93-107. In six Olympic games, he provided 23.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
Slovenia hopes to capitalize on Luka Doncic brilliance to avoid going through qualifiers again
It was a rough summer for the Slovenian national team during the Olympics as they needed to go to Kaunas, Lithuania to compete in a qualifying tournament before competing in China.
The objective of the team right now is to be one of the top two European finishers in the 2023 FIBA World Cup in order to go straight to Paris, France for the 2024 Olympic games.
Brian Windhorst said in his podcast, The Hoop Collective:
“Slovenia finished fourth place in the Olympics in 2021 and Luka was unconscious in that tournament. If you’re a Luka fan, if you’re a Mavericks fan — keep an eye on what Slovenia can do.”
France has already qualified for the Olympic Games as hosts and Spain will be one of the toughest teams in the European group. With Greece not having Giannis Antetokounmpo and Serbia without reigning NBA champion Nikola Jokic, Slovenia has a great chance of making it.
The Dallas Mavericks ended their season early and missed the play-in tournament which also gave Luka Doncic time to rest and recuperate in time to get in shape for the 2023 FIBA World Cup.