Big dots and a small bridge, the Slovenian phenomenon shines the spotlight without it disturbing him.

"It's not difficult (all this attention)," assured the defending champion with Slovenia on Monday.

"Sometimes I would like to be alone but it's part of what I dreamed of as a child", however, put the 23-year-old nugget into perspective.

His statistics (16 points and 8 assists on average) like his gestures on the floor are not discreet.

The images of his interception-small bridge-alley-oop against Hungary have saturated social networks.

"Luka Magic", named three times in a row in the five of the NBA season, drains American media to the Old Continent for the Euro: a reporter from the Dallas Morning News, the daily following his Mavericks, another from ESPN , preparing a book about him.

Even the owner of his franchise, Mark Cuban, and his trainer Jason Kidd made the trip.

The tribute ceremony Wednesday to another Mavericks landmark, Dirk Nowitzki, helping out.

Doncic's bandage on his right wrist created a bit of a scare against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"I had problems with my wrist in the two previous matches and I fell on it that day. But it's nothing serious," reassured the superstar the next day, whose words had caused controversy.

Tendency to frustration

Annoyed by the misstep against the Bosnians during a time-out, he was caught by the television cameras throwing an expletive.

This tendency to frustration, especially with the referees, had served him at the Tokyo Olympics in the match for the bronze medal lost against Australia.

As in the semi-final against France, which he finds for his last match in group B on Wednesday (5:15 p.m.).

"When in crucial matches, the ball does not fit, the frustration is expressed a little. It's completely normal", delivered in a press conference Goran Dragic, MVP of Euro-2017 won by Slovenia with a then 18-year-old Doncic.

"With the presence of Goran, it can take the weight off his shoulders," said coach Aleksander Sekulic, also at a press conference, about the new Chicago Bulls player, back in selection this summer for the first time since. five years.

"Goran can help him and I hope we will be a better team (than at the Olympics, editor's note) with a player as experienced as Goran (36 years old, editor's note) and such incredible talent as Luka", supports Aleksander Sekulic, appointed head of the selection in November 2020.

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The duo had not been associated since Euro-2017.

The teenager Doncic, already a star of Real Madrid, was promised a bright future but was not yet hovering in the empyrean of basketball.

Accelerated hatching

“So many things have happened in five years. He won the Euroleague, was the MVP. He has a successful career in the NBA, so far, with incredible statistics, recalls Goran Dragic. minus all that after Euro-2017 but honestly, I didn't think everything would go so fast. He's an incredible talent. What I see from him dazzles me every day."

It remains to lead his franchise, like his selection, towards a title as boss.

The reunion with France on Wednesday will revive sensitive memories: those of elimination in the semi-finals of the Olympics (90-89) after Nicolas Batum's buzzer counter against Klemen Prepelic who was about to score his lay-up.

"It was a hard elimination to digest in the semi-finals of the Olympic Games", recognizes Aleksander Sekulic.

It would have gone better if we had lost 20 points.

But going out that way with that feeling…”

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Coincidence or not, Doncic cited "Greece and Serbia" of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic among the teams he had watched the most since the start of the Euro.

Not France.

© 2022 AFP