Luka Doncic is one of the game’s best, and an NBA championship is on his radar, but to him a gold medal for Slovenia would mean much more.
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The young forward will be competing in this year’s Tokyo Olympics, and the hope is that he can pull off an upset-bid, leading Slovenia to their first gold medal in history.
However, Doncic also did add that he cold work with winning both. The Mavericks superstar did everything he could to try and beat the Los Angeles Clippers, but it wasn’t enough as Dallas blew a 2-0 lead to lose in seven games to Kawhi Leonard and company.
After being bounced in the first round, Luka’s entire attention turned to Slovenia, as he’ll be trying to help them qualify for the Olympics.
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Luka Doncic Attempts To Qualify Slovenia For The First Time Ever
Doncic may want a gold medal with his Slovenian team, but the Mavericks forward faces quite the uphill battle, and not just in terms of the competition they face (with team USA looking lethal as always), but also because Slovenia is looking to do the impossible to when it just comes to qualifying for the Olympics.
Since gaining independence in 1991, Slovenia has never qualified for the Olympics. However, after Doncic took to the international stage, they have been trending upwards.
In 2017, Slovenia would finish the EuroBasket tournament 9-0, winning its first and only gold medal in an international tournament for basketball.
Currently, Slovenia finds itself in an optimal position to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. After beating Venezuela 90-78 in the semifinals, Slovenia finds itself one win away from qualifying for the Olympics. They face off against Lithuania later tonight to determine their fate.
Assuming they do qualify, they’d have to get through the likes of Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal to win an Olympic gold. However, the Slovenians could be a dark horse candidate to consider when it comes to figuring out who Team USA’s biggest competition could be.
Serbia will be without Nikola Jokic and Australia will be without Ben Simmons, so the door is slightly open. Doncic is a superstar at every level, but winning an Olympic gold will be extremely tough.
