Washington (AFP)
Luka Doncic, the playing master of the Dallas Mavericks and the Slovenian selection at the last Tokyo Games, will extend his contract with the Texas club by five years, for $ 207 million (EUR 176 million), according to the Dallas Morning News and the ESPN sports channel.
"It's a dream come true," responded the young player (22), who led his national Olympic team to the semi-finals in Tokyo, beaten by France and then Australia for the medal of bronze.
His current contract dates back to 2018, when he was first picked by the Atlanta Hawks and immediately sent to the Mavericks in the NBA Draft, in exchange for Trae Young and another player.
The previous season, in 2017-18, he had become the youngest MVP (best player) of the Euroleague won in the jersey of Real Madrid.
He was then voted the best rookie (rookie) in the NBA in his first season in North America in 2019.
Last season, Doncic's NBA stats were 27.7 points per game, 8 rebounds and 8.6 assists, with a 47.9% success in his shots (35% three-pointer).
Thanks to its Slovenian leader, Dallas has just played the NBA play-offs for the past two seasons, beaten each time in the first round by the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Mavericks, founded in 1980, have only won the supreme North American basketball title once, in 2011 against the Miami Heat.
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