By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic were once teammates in Dallas, but things didn’t work out, and the Latvian center was eventually traded. Later, Mavericks even parted ways with Doncic, sending him to Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis.
They famously met in the 2024 NBA Finals, when Kristaps was playing for the Boston Celtics and Luka was still with the Mavericks, and Porzingis won the championship.
Speaking to Latvian media ahead of EuroBasket, Porzingis addressed their relationship since their Dallas days.
“I have a normal relationship with Luka Doncic. Of course, the time in Dallas didn’t work out. It’s a chapter that’s over. Since then, we’ve met a lot – the Celtics and the Mavericks faced each other in the Finals last year. In the European context, it seems like we haven’t played since 2017,” Porzingis said, according to sportacentrs.com.
They are now set to meet in a friendly game on August 16 in Riga, when Latvia hosts Slovenia.
“It’s a friendly game. If we meet in the quarterfinals or semifinals, then… why not take it as extra motivation? In a home friendly, we’ll give our all anyway.”
Porzingis and Latvia lost their first preparation game ahead of EuroBasket in Riga and are set to face Lithuania before the clash with Slovenia. Ahead of the continental championship, they will also play Greece and Italy in Athens.