By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
With FIBA EuroBasket 2025 approaching, Luka Doncic will have around the Slovenian national team a pretty familiar face, as Donnie Nelson has been named Slovenia’s special advisor.
Interviewed by the Slovenian outlet Ekipa 24, with his words collected by Grant Afseth, he came back to the trade that brought the Slovenian phenomenon away from Dallas.
“Of course, this is the NBA, and trades can happen; players come and go. But with all due respect, you have to understand that some players are different, special, and even more important to the environment and the community. It’s important to treat those players with respect,” Nelson said.
“That’s why there was so much disappointment after what happened to Luka. Not just my disappointment, but a universal disappointment. Could this happen to Real Madrid? Never. And it wouldn’t have happened when I was in Dallas,” Slovenia’s new special advisor added.
“During my years in Dallas, we always considered what was important to that community. And we looked at the players being a part of that. It was never like we went to one of our ATMs, took out a player, used him until he was most useful, and then threw him away,” Nelson said.
During the conversation, the former General Manager and President of Basketball Operations of the Dallas Mavericks also compared the Slovenian icon to Dirk Nowitzki, as they were treated differently.
“We were with Dirk Nowitzki for 21 years, and the last three years were out of pure respect. People like that deserve to say goodbye on their own terms and according to their wishes, and everyone deserves a decent funeral – figurative or literal,” Donnie Nelson added.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
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