What Languages Does Luka Doncic Speak? Analyzing The Mavericks Star’s Linguistic Skills

The rapid yet sustained surge in the status of Luka Doncic has enhanced fan curiosity about his personal life. In recent times, the Dallas Mavericks star’s linguistic skills have become one such key area of interest around the NBA. So, it’s fair to say that, following the latest heroics of the Slovenian, this intrigue has skyrocketed.

Much to their delight, the Mavs talisman can allegedly speak four international languages fluently. The 25-year-old’s area of expertise lies in conversing in English, Spanish, and Serbian; alongside his mother tongue, Slovenian.

Born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Doncic learned Slovenian early on in his life. Other than this, his father Saša, who is of Serbian descent, played an active role in teaching him Serbian.

However, English and Spanish took the Mavs star some time to get used to. Because of this, Doncic even had to struggle during his teenage years, while representing the Spanish giants, Real Madrid. Reflecting on those days, the Slovenian once mentioned in The Old Man and The Three,

“First three, four months, it was really tough. I didn’t know nobody. Actually, I almost didn’t speak English either…Nobody spoke my language. I didn’t speak Spanish, so it was really tough and that’s how I learned Spanish so quickly, and in three months I could speak Spanish”.

During those formative years, the 5x All-Star possibly also kept on working on his English on the side. Soon, it all came to fruition when he moved to the Mavs in 2018. The multilingual and multicultural nature of the NBA undoubtedly aided his holistic progress, smoothening the transition process.

Just a few years later, the world saw a glimpse of his mastery of each of those languages. During a virtual media day in December 2020, Doncic initially addressed all the queries in English. However, when journalists from Spain, Slovenia, and Serbia asked him questions in their native languages, the Mavs guard rose to the occasion by answering them similarly.

This showcased the prowess of Doncic at an individual level. He has translated his attitude of never backing down into various fields of life from a young age. At this stage of his career, it is paying him more dividends than he ever probably imagined.

Being multilingual helps Luka Doncic in more ways than one

Alongside providing a common ground to interact with his contemporaries, his grasp of languages also helps him get away with certain actions. One of those antics notably includes cursing at the referees while voicing his disagreement with them. Last year, he revealed this to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, stating, “Everything comes out a little bit. I know some bad words in other languages, too”.

The game officials’ lack of understanding of these European languages certainly comes to his aid. So, it’s fair to assume that Doncic has avoided hundreds of technical fouls against him by following this method.

It also allows him to trash-talk his opponents or retaliate at them while leaving them none the wiser. The most memorable instance of this was in the Western Conference Finals series against the Timberwolves. After hitting the game-winner in game 2 of the series while being guarded by Rudy Gobert, Luka turned around and said something to him, with many spectators concluding he was telling Gobert that the Frenchman couldn’t guard him.

When questioned on this by a reporter in the post-game interview, Doncic denied all trash talk allegations, claiming he said something in Slovenian.

The mental game is a huge part of basketball as well, and Luka Doncic’s ability to speak multiple languages shows he can perform on both the physical and mental aspects of the game at the highest possible level.