According to Dallas Basketball’s Grant Afseth, Luka Doncic has returned to Slovenia, where the medical staff of the national team will assess his knee ahead of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Piraeus, Greece.
Slovenia’s first match in the competition is against Croatia on July 2. After Dallas Mavericks lost in the Finals, on June 17, Doncic, whose 2023–24 NBA season had concluded, was evasive regarding his future. But he had said to reporters twelve days prior, “Yeah, I suppose we’ll see how my knee is. However, I’m going to go play if it’s good.”
During the Mavericks’ end-of-season news conference on Friday, general manager Nico Harrison stated to the reporters, “I think one of his biggest joys is playing for the national team, so as long as he can walk, I think he’s going to go out there and play for them.” That’s what I would anticipate.”
Unless there is a medical reason why he cannot, it is reasonable to believe that Doncic will be on the court in Piraeus. Despite spraining his knee in the first round, injuring his ankle in the second round, and suffering a thoracic contusion (a chest injury) in the Finals, he managed to average 40.1 minutes per game during the playoffs.
“He was hurting, but he’s a warrior.” stated Harrison. “He will persevere despite all of those wounds. He is simply that way. He enjoys playing a lot. However, it’s clear that he has various ailments throughout his body based on how he walks and runs.”
One of four competitions taking place in Piraeus from July 2–7 will decide which nations will compete in the Paris Olympics with France, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Serbia, South Sudan, and the United States. Slovenia will face competition for the top slot from the Dominican Republic, Greece, Croatia, New Zealand, and Egypt.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, a top player for the Milwaukee Bucks, is preparing with the Greek national team for the tournament.
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