All-Star guard Luka Doncic won’t play for Slovenia this offseason as he plans to recover from his hamstring injury and spend time with his daughters. Over the past week, there have been conflicting reports suggesting that the Los Angeles Lakers star wanted to play for his national team in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.
On Wednesday, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that Doncic’s representation released a statement to him, confirming that Doncic won’t play for Slovenia.
“Sources close to Lakers star Luka Dončić have reiterated to @TheSteinLine that nothing has changed from his recent statement below: He is not playing for his national team this summer in FIBA World Cup qualifying to spend as much of his offseason as possible with his daughters,” Stein reported on X.
The “recent statement” Stein was referring to was issued by Doncic after the Lakers were eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA playoffs.
Luka Doncic Won’t Play for Slovenia
“I love my daughters more than anything, and they will always come first in my life,” Doncic said via a statement on May 11.
“As I continue working toward joint custody of my daughters, I have been forced to make a difficult decision between traveling and playing for the Slovenian national team and being with my daughters this summer. Unfortunately, it has been made extremely difficult for me to see them over the past eight months.
“I have given everything to representing Slovenia and I am disappointed that I will not be able to play for my country this summer. But right now, my daughters and my responsibilities as a father are my priority.”
Lakers Fans Can Celebrate
Despite Doncic’s statement, his father, Sasa Doncic, said recently that his son could miss Slovenia’s leg of games in July but could join the team in August.
“He will not be there in July, but August is still a long way off and there is certainly a possibility that he will join Aleksandar Sekulić’s squad,” Sasa told Slovenian media.
“He will make the decision himself, the club supports him and does not set any restrictions or conditions for him,” he added.
Doncic, who missed all 10 of the Lakers’ playoff games with a grade 2 hamstring strain, was previously considered a lock to play for Slovenia in the FIBA World Cup 2027 Qualifiers — against Estonia on July 3 and Sweden on July 6. The reports caused an uproar among Lakers fans, who were apparently distraught with the Slovenian for prioritizing playing for his country over his NBA club.
“Maybe it’s just me, but Luka Doncic should sit out playing for Team Slovenia this summer so he can be fully healthy for next season,” wrote a Lakers fan, urging Doncic to sit out his international assignment and return healthy for the 2026-27 season.
Doncic missed the final five games of the regular season and the entire playoffs with a grade 2 hamstring strain. It was earlier believed that he could join the Lakers for the second round against the Thunder, but he suffered a setback in his recovery process.
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