Luka Doncic is a big car fan. The Dallas Mavericks' star point guard is such a car enthusiast that he doesn't bring any cars with him. Five Some of them responded to our interviews. We met on a paved bluff at the south end of the Trinity River in Dallas, under a wide sky filled with the golden light of late winter. It's early March, and the Mavs are in hot pursuit of the playoffs. But today we're less about hearing about Doncic's extraordinary abilities and more about his life off the floor. At its core is all things automotive.
“My first luxury car was a Porsche Panamera,” says Ljubljana-born Dončić (pronounced don channelI), smiled for a moment. “I have 13 cars now. There is still a Porsche, a 911, left in Slovenia.” He is only two inches shorter than Dončić, who is 6'7″, so he cannot drive a 911. I told him no. What does he think? “That's just what I think,'' he says matter-of-factly.
We explore various amazing rides around us. Among them: a nearly fluorescent purple Lamborghini Urus, a distinctive red Ferrari 812 Superfast, his marine blue 1968 Chevrolet Camaro, and a wild matte black Apocalypse Hellfire 6×6 truck (Doncic's favorite). When we inspected them, we found that all of these cars had decent numbers on their odometers. Doncic shrugs his shoulders. “I like driving. It's personal time,” he says. “I drive everywhere, sometimes late at night, just around the corner. In the summer I like to drive by the water.”
The fifth vehicle is here as a demo. This is a 2019 orange Koenigsegg Regera with an original list price of nearly $3 million. Doncic is considering buying it. He walks to the driver's side, being careful not to pinch his shoulder in the raised, robotic rear hood. He tilts his head. “I don't think this…will fit in,” is all he says, holding his hand against the door frame. He is silent as he studies it.
Doncic here, reserved and reflective, with an almost reverent demeanor between cars, is the exact opposite of who he is on the court. Yes, the 25-year-old point guard is constantly moving his body and rushing toward the basket with relentless force. But he can also be energetic and enthusiastic between drives. A man is not afraid to provoke or get angry. When it comes to his basketball IQ, Doncic's ability to read plays, anticipate defenses, predict the ebb and flow of entire interactions is…well, it's powerful. on HBO shopLeBron James once said:[Luka] You can control the game. He doesn't even have to shoot…it's the spirit. ”
Doncic stands atop an Apocalypse Hellfire 6×6 wearing a Kingsman T-shirt and Jordan sneakers.
When I ask him what comes most naturally to him when it comes to basketball, and how he is able to read the sport with such foresight, Doncic humbly replies: I was around it from an early age. ”
The 2023-24 season, Doncic's sixth year in the NBA, was his best season to date. He is now in his fourth playoff appearance with the Mavericks following a surge in March and early April. (This year's postseason begins on April 20th, and Doncic is notable for being an MVP candidate as well.) This season, he leads the league in scoring with an average of 33.9 points per game. Ta. On January 26th against the Atlanta Hawks, he scored an astonishing 73 points.This number is tied for the fourth-highest standard in the NBA. Until now By a single game player. Only the late Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain achieved more. “It was special,” Doncic said. “And we got the win. That's the most important thing to me.”
A few weeks later, Doncic scored 47 points against the Houston Rockets, including a jaw-dropping buzzer-beating underhand trick shot from just inside the 3-point line. “I wasn’t surprised. [it went in]” he deadpanned at a subsequent press conference. “I worked as a bartender when I was younger, so I’m used to it,” he said, making a hugging motion with his palm facing up, as if he was holding a cocktail shaker.
Doncic stands in front of his Koenigsegg Regera wearing a Jordan tracksuit. Jordan's latest collaboration, the Luca 3, can be seen on the door. The shoe debuts this week.
I'll be interested to see if Doncic feels personal growth has contributed to his greatest success over the past six months or so. He said part of it is “maturing” and continuing to “learn the game” in his five years with the Mavericks, but he also said this year that he has hired a personal “body team.” he added. That includes physical therapists, conditioning coaches and nutritionists, he added. “That's part of what's changed. I'm lifting more, recovering more, doing all these things,” he says.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd believes part of Doncic's excellence is due to his close bond with the team's other superstar point guard, Kyrie Irving. Kidd told the media:[Luka and Kyrie have] There was a very high level of chemistry and trust both on and off the floor. ”
“Everything has been going well since the All-Star break,” Doncic said of his outstanding season and the Mavs' strong finish. “The chemistry was different, the energy was different. We've played together a lot. We have [Daniel] Guys like Gafford and PJ. [Washington], it was big. I learned even more from Kylie this year. He has also taken on the challenge of stepping up as a leader. Please speak up more and involve everyone. ”
After checking out the car, find a place to sit. Doncic has previously worn several different outfits styled by Marcus Paul for Esquire photos. Now he's changed into a white Jordan T-shirt and baggy black shorts. The partnership with Jordan runs until 2029. We talked about Doncic's new entertainment and technology studio, 77X, named after his jersey number. (He plans to announce details in late 2024.) Doncic asked if he wanted a Corona, his favorite beer.
When asked about Doncic's style, he said, “I like casual clothes.” “I started doing a little bit of suits and fancier things. I like Tom Ford. I like to dress up,” he added.
Doncic is more interested in collecting watches, which is his favorite thing to buy after cars. While he was drinking Corona, he was seen wearing his Audemars Piguet model with a unique hammer-effect bracelet. He pointed to my watch, which wasn't very fancy, and I told him it was set to the wrong time. “Don't worry,” he says. “Too mine.”
In addition to that, car, fit, luxury watch– Doncic would like to exhibit one more thing. It's their latest (third) collaborative sneaker. Dubbed the Jordan Luca 3, this colorway features a lava lamp purple body wrapped around a teal chassis. It's eye-catching, but Jordan developed this shoe with a performance-first mindset. It features something called an IsoPlate, which helps stabilize momentum and changes of direction. This is meant to accommodate Doncic's signature move: his famous stepback. Luca 3 debuts this week.
“I have meetings with Jordan every few months,” Doncic said. “They present choices on the screen and I tell them what they like and what they don't like. That's how we arrive at the final product.” And, perhaps unsurprisingly, “Luca 3 is inspired by cars.
Doncic said he is done getting tattoos, except for his daughter's name. “I'm going to put 'Gabriella' in there somewhere,” he says.
Doncic was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia in 1999. His father Sasha was a professional hoops player. (He was a multiple-time All-Star in the Slovenian League.) At the age of eight, Doncic signed up for a club in Ljubljana called Union Olympia, and soon found himself training with kids up to four years older than him. Became. He signed with Real Madrid at the age of 13 and played through the junior ranks before turning professional in 2015. In 2017, he helped Slovenia win its first EuroBasket title. In the 2017-18 season, he led Real Madrid to victory in the Eurocup in Belgrade.He was named Euroleague MVP and Final Four MVP.
Shortly after that, I got a call from the NBA. In 2018, the Atlanta Hawks selected Doncic with the third overall pick and then traded him to the Mavericks. He's been playing in Dallas ever since. And while he's a fan of the Texas city that has become his home, he said his heart will always remain rooted in Eastern Europe.
“When I retire, I will own a farm in Slovenia,'' Dončić declares. His friends own an example on the outskirts of Ljubljana, and he is slowly learning the ins and outs of farming and animal husbandry. Will he farm himself? “No, but I'll be around.” There's plenty of room for pets – Doncic loves dogs and currently has three. They are a Pomeranian named Hugo, a White Swiss Shepherd named Gia, and a Tamaskan (“I think she's part wolf”) named Viki. The Adriatic Sea is just a few hours' drive away. “In the summer, I go to the Croatian coast,” he says. There's an RV there. It's a campsite he used to go to when he was a kid. ”
Most importantly, he wants his and his fiancée Anamaria Gortes' first child, Gabriela, born at the end of 2023, to have the freedom and space to pursue her interests.
“She can learn anything she sets her mind to,” Doncic asserts. He paused for a moment and added: “I hope she's into sports. She's into a lot of sports.” He stopped again. “Hopefully tennis. It's a tough sport,” he said without elaborating further. Does Doncic play tennis? “I'll play in the summer. My serve is my best shot,'' he said, gesturing to his short sleeve of fine line tattoos, mostly done during his time in Madrid. “I'm going to add 'Gabriella' somewhere someday.”
Doncic has his eyes set on a future in Slovenia, but he's very much at home in Texas right now. A lot of what we talk about revolves around the comfort of staying there, or at least being discreet. He says, “I like grilling, but I don't like cooking.'' I can make eggs, but that's about it. ” If he goes out, he prefers to do it in privacy at a local Dallas wine club (he won't say which one). I asked what a typical off-duty day would be like. “I'm sitting on the couch,” he says.
Otherwise, Doncic is working to officially establish the Luka Doncic Foundation, which will support youth development in Europe and Texas through both sports and philanthropy.
Doncic, whose nonprofit, which soft-launched in 2022, is “for children in need: Slovenian and American children. Children from Ljubljana and Dallas. We are both… These two places have given me so much that I want to give back,” said Dončić. More than once, I have paid all expenses for a Slovenian family to move to the United States. Before Christmas last year, he sent hundreds of gifts to youth facilities in Slovenia while also underwriting a holiday party at Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth. There are other examples of philanthropy, but Doncic keeps most of his efforts under the radar.
Whatever the current alchemy between personal and professional is for Doncic, it's working wonders for the latter. Despite having the best season of his career, Doncic could still sign a very lucrative NBA contract in 2025. He is close to qualifying for a “supermax” contract. This contract allows teams to reward so-called veteran players with huge cumulative sums of money. Meets certain performance standards. ESPN's Bobby Marks recently concluded that in Doncic's case, his contract could be worth $346 million. If that happens, it would be the highest amount ever offered to a player in NBA history.
Back here in Dallas, yellow sunlight flows into a rosy dusk and everything feels far away. Despite the traffic and honking of cars during rush hour, the inside of the bar was quiet and you could easily drink a cold beer.
Once that's done, I can see Doncic wanting to get going. We have a game tomorrow against the Indiana Pacers, so we're having a busy afternoon. Trinity turns a deep, flat purple, and his cars are still outside, except for Koenigsegg, who we later learn was passed over by Doncic because he was admittedly too small.
He asks for the key. All of them.
“Now you have to decide which way you want to drive home,” he says.
Nick Remsen is a writer based in Miami, Florida, covering fashion, culture, lifestyle, and entertainment news for media outlets around the world.
