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Luka Doncic's Knee Will be Evaluated by Slovenia Before Olympic Qualifiers, Reveals NBA Insider
Luka Doncic played with the pain barrier throughout the NBA playoff and now he awaits a knee inspection in order to play for Slovenia in the Olympic qualifiers.
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 of the competition is against Croatia on July 2. After the Dallas Mavericks lost in the Finals, on June 17, Doncic, whose 2023–24 NBA season just concluded, was evasive about his future. But he had said to reporters twelve days prior, "Yeah, I think we'll see how my knee is. However, I'm going to go play if it's good."
What did Nico Harrison say?
During the Mavericks' end-of-season press conference on Friday, general manager Nico Harrison stated to the reporters that Doncic’s biggest joy is playing for the national team and he will play for them as long as he can walk.
Unless there is a medical reason, it is reasonable to assume 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.
Harrison added, "He was hurting, but he's a warrior. He's going to fight through all those injuries. That's just who he is. He loves to play. But yeah, I mean, multiple injuries throughout his body, that's evident, and you can see the way he's walking and running."
The Olympic place is up for grabs for these teams
One of four competitions taking place in Piraeus from July 2–7 will decide which nations will compete in the Paris Olympics alongside France, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Serbia, South Sudan, and the United States. Slovenia will face competition for one spot from the Dominican Republic, Greece, Croatia, New Zealand, and Egypt.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, a star player for the Milwaukee Bucks, is preparing with the Greek national team for the tournament.
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