Luka Doncic, who recently led the Dallas Mavericks to a surprise run to the NBA Finals, is now focused on helping his native Slovenia qualify for the Olympics. After Slovenia failed to secure an Olympic berth during last summer’s FIBA World Cup, they must now win admission through an Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Slovenia faced a tough challenge in their first game, losing to Croatia and putting themselves in a must-win situation with a high point differential to advance. They managed to beat New Zealand by 26 points with a 104-78 win, thanks 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 competing for those 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 strong showing at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, finishing in fourth place after a loss to Australia in the Bronze Medal Game. Doncic was the standout player on that team, with other players like Vlatko Cancar and Zoran Dragic following behind. While the Olympics are still a few weeks away, many top players are already competing for the chance to represent their countries on the biggest stage in sports.