If you’re reading this, I hope you take a minute to pause right now and think about what’s best for your company. If you’re not currently working for a company, please fix that immediately. You’re probably thinking about your own priorities too much.
Luka Dončić plays basketball. Luka Dončić plays basketball for both the Los Angeles Lakers and for his home country of Slovenia. The Los Angeles Lakers are his employer, and they probably have more fans than the Slovenian national team. The Slovenian national team are his connection to his home country, the place he learned to love basketball. While Slovenia only has a population of 2 million or so people, the fraction that have attached themselves to Luka Dončić there probably have a deeper connection to him than Lakers fans do.
But whether or not that factors into how Luka thinks, he made a decision. According to Arthur Hill on hoopsrumors.com, Luka Dončić intends to play for Slovenia for this year’s EuroBasket tournament from the end of August to mid-September. Basketball basketball basketball. You heard it here first, unless you didn’t.
Should Lakers fans be concerned about Luka’s EuroBasket attendance?
I can’t say it especially matters to me what Lakers fans are feeling, but I can see why there would be worry. Playing basketball means the potential for injury. Full stop. Luka has had his share of tweaks and issues. Basketball is a risk. Full stop. If you want him to minimize risk, then maybe you don’t want him to play.
But also that’s not your call.
On the other hand, Luka playing competitive basketball right before the season begins would be a nice reassurance for people who worry about whether he will be in shape. That reputation does follow him, even if it isn’t particularly fair.
But one benefit above all is something that is just extremely Luka. I tried doing a 10,000-word article with the gravitational pull being Luka’s love for basketball and how much just having fun means to him. He’s commissioned a study. He has his own foundation. His appearance on mind the game showed just how much the joyful experience of basketball means to him as a person.
Luka just went through what was probably an awful, awful year. Sure the trade between Dallas and Lakers was horrid on a pure “asset management” level, but the treatment of Luka by the Dallas Mavericks before, during, and after was reprehensible. Bad enough to actually wound someone not dumb enough to ignore their emotions.
My hope is that being able to play for something besides money or a professional championship could be healing in some way. National pride, or being able to communicate on the court in your native language, or anything beyond just what we see on tv or in the standings.
That’s my hope. If it works, I’m sure Lakers fans will be happy.