Luka Doncic and the rest of Slovenia were abruptly confronted with the realities of life in Japan before embarking on their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 journey in Okinawa.
The star player from the Dallas Mavericks, along with his Slovenian teammates, found themselves roused from sleep in the early hours of Thursday morning due to an alert triggered by a missile’s reported entry into the Pacific Ocean.
Fortunately, the situation did not escalate further, but the incident had a lasting impact on the EuroLeague 2018 champion.
“No, it’s great. Just last night I didn’t sleep much. The alarm was crazy. I mean I just saw that missiles were coming. I was a bit scared,” said Doncic.
This challenging start marks the beginning of the former Real Madrid standout’s maiden World Cup campaign with Slovenia. Despite securing victory in the EuroBasket tournament two years prior, the 6-foot-7 shooting guard missed out on the 2019 World Cup in China.
Eager to compensate for lost opportunities, Doncic and his teammates are focused on prevailing against Cape Verde, Georgia, and Venezuela in Group F.
(C) FIBA.basketball
“I think as European champions, we should have qualified anyway but we didn’t. Right now it’s great. It’s a competition with (countries from) around the world so I’m happy to be here,” said Doncic.
Being a prominent figure in the basketball world, Doncic’s words hold significant weight whenever he expresses his thoughts. He recognizes his influence and strives to channel it in a manner that benefits his homeland.
His aspiration is to spotlight Slovenia on the international stage, and what better opportunity than to shine in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
“I’ve been doing this since I left Slovenia. It’s really important. There are a lot of great places to visit in Slovenia, especially Lake Bled is one of the best places to visit,” he asserted.
“Overall it’s a great country. I am always trying to promote my country.”
