Luka Doncic Sim Racing and Hooping With Father Saša as a Child Resurfaces

No star in the NBA currently shines brighter than Luka Doncic. The Slovenian superstar has been creating “Magic” in the league ever since he was drafted by Dallas in 2018 — and now shows that greatness for the Purple & Gold as a member of the Lakers. The meteoric rise of Luka can be traced back to his father, Saša Doncic, who introduced the game to The Don very early.

Saša is no stranger to basketball himself. The now 50-year-old father served as both a player and a coach in the Slovenian leagues, where he’s won multiple titles. Passing along his knowledge to his baby boy was probably an exciting hobby not just as a coach, but as a father as well. And if you needed to see proof, an old video of a four-year-old Luka has just resurfaced online.

In the video, Saša is seen giving an interview to a Slovenian media outlet while mini-Luka is playing a sim-racing video game — and is completely locked in doing it. Moments later, he shoots some hoops in his room while Saša casually plays defense and does a magic trick that makes the ball disappear. It’s a very sweet look at the positive childhood Luka had .

 

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It wasn’t all fun and games, though. The video also shows Saša showing the future NBA legend some proper oral care as the two brush their teeth together.

Finally, mini-Luka jumps into the interview and says he’ll be rooting for “his daddy,” proof that he’s always been an extrovert on and off the court.

Saša mentioned that it would be ok if Luka Doncic chose not to pursue basketball

Sometimes, what one generation loves may not be similarly adored by the next. Saša had basketball in his blood, but would his son feel the same way? During the same interview, he admitted that even if Luka didn’t pursue basketball, “it would be okay.”

Fortunately for NBA fans, he did choose to ball. He first started making waves at Real Madrid, where he signed a five-year contract at the age of 13. As he got older his game only got sharper, including in the 2017-2018 season when he earned MVP honors.

It wasn’t long after that he entered the draft pool and kickstarted his NBA legacy. In his seven years in the NBA, The Don has been selected as an All-Star five times and led the Mavericks to a Conference Championship and an NBA Finals appearance in 2024.

Thank goodness for Saša teaching Luka the Magic that he seems to display on a daily basis.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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