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Luka Doncic once again proved why he’s one of the game’s brightest stars, becoming only the fourth player in EuroBasket history to record a triple-double.
Doncic tallied 26 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists to guide Slovenia past Belgium 86-69 on Sunday.
The performance was crucial for Slovenia, which entered the contest on the verge of elimination after dropping its first two group games.
Doncic had poured in 39 points in a 103-95 loss to France the night before, coming up just shy of a triple-double with eight rebounds and eight assists.
France’s roster features four NBA players, Zacchaire Risacher, Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly and Guerschon Yabusele, compared to Slovenia’s single representative in Doncic. That reality made Sunday’s win even more significant.
Through three games, Doncic is averaging 33 points, 7.3 rebounds, 9.7 assists and 3.3 steals, carrying his nation with the type of dominance usually reserved for the NBA stage.
His decision to play for Slovenia this summer came only weeks after signing a three-year, $155 million extension with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Concerns over potential injury spiked when he banged knees with a teammate during an exhibition, but Doncic quickly returned to action. Lakers governor Jeanie Buss and president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka even flew to Poland to show their support.
“Zero problems,” Pelinka told The Athletic’s Dan Woike. “I mean, it’s just something that we believe in for the Lakers organization. It’s just great to see him with his teammates, interacting, having fun. He is in great shape, really committed to working hard this summer, and to be able to watch that in person was worth flying over the ocean to come be with him.”
Up next for Doncic and Slovenia is a matchup with Iceland on Tuesday.
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