Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic expected to play his entire NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks. Debuting for Dallas as a 19-year-old rookie in 2018, Doncic quickly emerged into the face of the franchise. Across seven seasons in Dallas, the Slovenian guard averaged 28.6 points, making five All-NBA teams and winning a scoring title.
In addition to his NBA superstardom, Doncic is also incredibly accomplished internationally. Making appearances for the Slovenian National Team since 2017, Doncic has averaged 23.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.5 assists in those contests (via FIBA).
On Wednesday, one of Doncic’s former Slovenian teammates announced his retirement.
In a post on Instagram, Slovenian guard Luka Rupnik posted a long farewell message to the game of basketball.
“Life has a beautiful way of coming full circle,” he began. “I began this journey as a five-year-old boy with a ball in my hands and a dream in my heart. Today, I’m writing these words with that same love for the game still burning inside me, but now with a lifetime of memories behind me, I’m announcing that this is my last season as a professional basketball player.”
In addition to the long message, Rupnik’s post included 19 photos. Four of them included Doncic, who a 2020 article by The Athletic revealed is a “good friend” of the newly retired Slovenian guard.
Reacting to the news of Rupnik’s retirement, Doncic reshared his post on Instagram.
Rupnik began his time with the Slovenian National Team in 2008 as part of the U16 club. Since then, he has made appearances in EuroBasket, World Cup and the Olympics.
In his Senior National Team appearances, spanning from 2011 to 2023, Rupnik averaged 4.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists (via FIBA).
