Luka Doncic, a basketball sensation who recently led the Dallas Mavericks to an unexpected trip to the NBA Finals, has shifted his focus towards helping his native Slovenia secure a spot in the Olympics. After failing to qualify for the Olympics during last summer’s FIBA World Cup, Slovenia must now compete in an Olympic Qualifying Tournament to gain admission.
In their first game, Slovenia faced a challenging opponent in Croatia and lost, leaving them in a must-win situation with a high point differential to advance. However, they managed to overcome this obstacle by beating New Zealand by 26 points with a stunning 104-78 win. This victory was largely due to Doncic’s impressive 36-point triple-double performance.
Currently, eight teams have already secured their spots in the Olympics, leaving four slots available for the 12-team field through the qualifying tournaments. The teams vying for these final spots are divided into six tournaments, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinals. Notably, Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo will face off in the semifinals, with the winner likely to play against Croatia for a chance to qualify for the Olympics.
Slovenia had a remarkable showing at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, finishing in fourth place after losing to Australia in the Bronze Medal Game. Doncic was undoubtedly the standout player on that team, with other players like Vlatko Cancar and Zoran Dragic following behind. Despite being several weeks away from the games, many of the world’s top basketball players are already competing for a spot on their national teams.
