By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
While most fans keep tracking Luka Doncic as the new face of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Slovenian superstar remains loyal to his European roots.
In a profile by Sports Illustrated journalist Chris Mannix posted Thursday, Doncic revealed a passion for team ownership and opened up about the shifting landscape of the Old Continent. The playmaker has admitted that EuroLeague games occupy more of his television screen at home than the NBA.
His love for European hoops translated into a major business move when former Dallas Mavericks executive Donnie Nelson approached him with an opportunity to invest in an Italian squad. “I said yes immediately,” shared the Ljubljana native.
The resulting partnership saw the group purchase Vanoli Cremona, relocate the franchise to Rome, and rebrand it as BC Roma, initially known as Roma SPQR.
Beyond his financial stake, Doncic is focusing on globalization. He disclosed that he has engaged in multiple conversations with NBA commissioner Adam Silver regarding the integration of his club into a planned expansion, widely referred to as NBA Europe. “He’s very excited for it,” he described Silver’s approach. “I can’t tell you everything. But he’s excited.”
The former EuroLeague champion with Real Madrid in 2018 and EuroBasket champion with Slovenia in 2017 acknowledged that massive hurdles remain, particularly concerning how a new entity would coexist with the continent’s top-tier platform.
“There’s EuroLeague, EuroCup and then NBA Europe,” he expressed concern over a cluttered ecosystem. “It is going to be three leagues. That’s kind of hard to work. There should be one league. That’s how it works.”
His team based in the Italian capital recently took a major step forward by submitting a binding offer for a permanent spot in the EuroLeague, ahead of a planned expansion to 24 teams.
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