DianDiDaily（第20240616期）

The sound of children laughing and basketballs bouncing could be heard in the quiet streets of Slovenia’s capital. This is where Luka Doncic, a basketball star, started his journey.

Luka plays for the Dallas Mavericks（达拉斯小牛队）. He has helped his team reach the NBA Finals （NBA总决赛）three times. Luka is very good, but his team lost twice to the Boston Celtics（波士顿凯尔特人队）. Luka had 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in one game. Even though he was injured, he played very well. The Mavericks lost the first game too, even though Luka scored 30 points.

Luka is 25 years old. He has many awards and is one of the best players. But his journey started 20 years ago, far away from Dallas. Luka went to a school called Miran Jarc in Slovenia.

Luka’s first coach was Rok Dezman. He saw that Luka was very tall and good with the ball. Luka was very talented, so he played with older kids to get better.

Now, Luka is very tall, but he didn’t always have a height advantage. He learned to shoot from far away instead of only playing close to the basket.

In Luka’s old school, there is a photo of him with a quote: “I never dreamed of success. I worked for it.” His gym teacher, Uros Rozman, said Luka always worked very hard.

Luka played for his school’s team and then joined a youth league. After seventh grade, he left Slovenia to play in Spain. Five years later, he was chosen to play in the NBA.

Luka’s success inspires many students at Miran Jarc. One student, Aleksandar Drobnjak, said it is an honor to go to the same school. He and other students want to work hard like Luka.

On the basketball court, Luka is very confident. He shows his emotions when he plays. Coach Dezman said Luka has always been like this. “Luka loves basketball. He is a winner. He has to win,” Dezman said.