15 surprising things you didn’t know about LA Lakers star Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic's trade to the Los Angeles Lakers will be the most significant in-season trade in the history of the NBA. The All-NBA guard is one of the most publicized sports stars in the world, but here are some things you may not know about the new Laker guard.

Doncic will continue to wear the number 77 jersey at the Lakers, but why does he wear it? Before entering the NBA, Doncic wore the number 7 because his idol Vassilis Spanoulis wore it during his career. However, since Dwight Powell took the number 7 in Dallas, Doncic opted for 77.

This is good news for Laker fans! Before Doncic played against LeBron James for the first time in 2018, the Slovenian said, "I look forward to that (playing against him); he is my idol." Now, Laker Nation will be able to enjoy watching them play together.

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Luka's dad, Sasa Doncic, played professional basketball in Slovenia for over 15 years, winning the Slovenian League twice and the Slovenian Cup three times.

His godfather is former Slovenian NBA player Radoslav Nesterovic. Nesterovic played 11 years in the NBA for four different franchises and won an NBA Championship in 2005 with the San Antonio Spurs.

Doncic can speak four languages fluently and was an English speaker before he joined the Dallas Mavericks. Growing up in Ljubljana, he spoke Slovenian, but also learned to talk to Serbian from his dad. At 13, he moved to Spain to play for Real Madrid and learned Spanish there.

Doncic named one of his Jordan Luka 2 colorways after Lake Bled. The picturesque lake in the Julian Alps of Northwestern Slovenia inspired the colorway.

The Dallas Mavericks held the 5th pick in the NBA Draft and feared Doncic would be selected before then, and he was. The Hawks selected Doncic at number three, and the Mavericks picked Trae Young at number five. Dallas then traded Young to the Hawks for Doncic, giving them an extra pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Doncic's favorite song is a Slovenian pop song called Miki Milane. The new Laker guard has often made story posts on Instagram with the song after his team wins in the NBA.

As you would probably guess, Doncic's favorite soccer team is Real Madrid, having played there for half his youth. While playing for Madrid, Doncic often met the Real Madrid soccer players for club get-togethers.

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Doncic's parents have often stated that he first picked up a basketball at seven months old. He joined his first league when he was eight and dominated the floor before being noticed by Madrid.

In March 2021, Real Madrid chairman Florentino Perez named Doncic and Spanish rally driver Carlos Sainz Sr as honorary soccer club members, the highest distinction award at Real Madrid.

After leading Real Madrid to a EuroLeague Finals victory against Fenerbahce, Doncic was named the EuroLeague Final Four MVP after scoring 15 points. In the same year, he became the youngest recipient of the EuroLeague MVP, averaging 16 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 2018.

Doncic became the first player to earn All-NBA First Team honors in either his first or second season since Tim Duncan in 1998-99. In the 2019/2020 season, Doncic averaged 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game, per Stat Muse.

Though Doncic is playing in the bright lights of Los Angeles these days, the Slovenian star wants to live a peaceful life after his NBA career has finished and start his own farm. In the off-season, he enjoys spending time at his best friend's farm.

The new Laker forward always tries to give back to his hometown, and he refurbished a neighborhood court in Ljubljana, repainting it blue and adding the number 77. The court is now called LD77. They may need to change the color to purple and gold now.

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