Luka Doncic Joked His Main NBA Goal Is To Dunk On LeBron James


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Luka Doncic is going to be a top-5 pick come Thursday night, although where exactly he should and will go remains a topic of pretty intense debate.

There are some that think he’s the best player in this draft class, citing his EuroLeague MVP this season and production in the second-best pro league in the world, and should be Phoenix’s choice at No. 1, although that seems to almost be a lock to go to Deandre Ayton. Others question his athleticism and consistency as a shooter, wondering if he has as much upside as some of the other top prospects — along with the other questions that many always bring up with international players, regardless of having watched much of them.

Doncic is aware of those questions and is eager to answer them once he gets to the NBA. He’s confident in his game, having played against adults and former NBA players for years while at Real Madrid, and is ready to help change the perception about young European basketball stars.

The young Slovenian recently spoke with Yahoo Sports’ Shams Charania about his upcoming transition into the NBA. He spoke about preferring to play point guard, where he can “play for my teammates and make them better,” and looking forward to proving he belongs in the league. He also showed off some of his personality, joking that if he ever dunks on his favorite player, LeBron James, he’ll have fulfilled his dream.

“If I dunk on LeBron, I can retire,” Doncic told Yahoo Sports by phone, laughing.

“I’m kidding, but no, no, of course I want to bring my personality to the States.”

First off, I think this is a perfectly reasonable top goal to have as an NBA rookie, so I don’t think Doncic even needs to clarify that he’s joking here (but I get why he does, because people hate fun). Jayson Tatum dunked on LeBron in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and while they lost that’s something you’ll never be able to take away from him and may end up being one of the best individual moments of his career.

Doncic went on to say he hopes he can earn some comparisons to LeBron, although that may be a long way out, but he also appreciates those that have noted his passing acumen is somewhat Steve Nash-like. He also looks forward to figuring out who “makes a mistake” not drafting him, for those wondering if he’s got that competitive edge necessary. Doncic could go anywhere from No. 2 to No. 4 on Thursday, with a variety of teams (including possible trade up scenarios) interested.

Hopefully he can live up to the hype, and if he dunks on LeBron, he would at the least put to rest those questions about athleticism.

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