Slovenia won the last EuroBasket, in 2017.
But in a stacked European region, Slovenia hasn’t even qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Mavericks star Luka Doncic will try to change that.
Donatas Urbonas:
Luka Doncic on Slovenia NT and Olympic qualifying tournament: “I’m gonna play for sure”
— Donatas Urbonas (@Urbodo) February 14, 2020
Slovenia got a tough draw, landing in host Lithuania’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Only one team from each OQT will reach the Olympics. Even Poland in the group stage will be no pushover.
But Doncic is obviously a difference-maker. Not only is he one of the world’s best players, he’s also comfortable with international style of play.
Slovenia needs him after Goran Dragic retired from the national team following the 2017 European basketball championship.
Slovenia’s first OQT game is June 24 against Angola. Dallas seems bound for a first-round loss. So, that should work. But if the Mavericks make a surprising run deep in the playoffs, Doncic could always reconsider – though he sounds quite certain now.
