Basketball is all about feelings: Are European summers Luka’s biggest weakness?
Do you ever hold someone to a higher standard than others and then feel a blow deep inside when they let you down? That’s how I feel about Luka Dončić sometimes. I know, it sounds crazy, especially coming from the person who wrote the article titled How Luka restored my sanity and returned me to my first love.
And let’s get one thing straight first. He came back this year in great shape, ready to play, both mentally and physically. I’m not talking about that.
It’s about the social life he leads in Europe. During EuroBasket, Luka once again made some questionable decisions, which disappointed me greatly. He was said to drink strong alcoholic beverages to celebrate victories and smoke during matches. This pissed me off and for a long time I couldn’t figure out why I was so upset over something so seemingly small. He’s a grown man, he can do what he wants! A superstar playing on another continent, someone I’ve never met. Why do I care so much?
I think I may have figured it out now. This relates to my own experience.
When I was between the ages of 14 and 21, there were certain expectations of me as a player in a very successful team at league level, someone who was also competing for a place in the national team.
I had to be on time and ready for basketball practice, eat the right food (a healthy meal, not too big about an hour before) and drink water throughout the day to stay hydrated.
I had to know the schemes and exercises and be able to do them in the dark. I was expected to shoot 90 percent from the line and hit straight threes, never in transition. He should stand under the basket at all times.
On the weekends, I had to go home early from parties and get-togethers, because we always had some kind of game. It was okay to have one drink when I got old enough, but not days before games. It was never – and I repeat, it was NEVER okay to smoke. All my non-basketball friends smoked (this was Europe 20 years ago), but I never did. “Do you know how much that affects your fitness?” An assistant coach told us once. And he was right. A player on my team started smoking at parties and you could soon tell she couldn’t keep up.
Maybe now you see the connection – why do I have such a hard time watching Luka celebrate his knockout tournament wins with strong alcohol and even smoking the night before the game?
I’m not trying to pretend that I had similar experiences to Luke, not even close. He played at Real Madrid from the age of 13, a place that is highly competitive and runs with military discipline. Here players have no say, they do as they are told and are expected to follow all the rules, no questions asked.
Is that why Luka now has this need to break the rules a little? Balance the whole experience with a bit of fun – at least when he plays Slovenia?
He had never really had a chance to let loose, be a teenager and act wild and crazy. There was always some kind of game. Always practice. Always expectations of the prodigy from Slovenia. But I wonder if it comes at a price?
And we see this every summer?
To his credit, this less than professional attitude in Europe is getting better every year. Last year he was not in shape for the preparation – this year he seems to be playing better than ever and is in great physical shape.
Maybe that’s the price you pay for being the prodigy of your nation, your continent and then your adopted city, state and country. We all struggle with balance, we all make mistakes, and we all have to act a little wild from time to time. The only difference is that Luka does it in front of millions of people. He wins and loses, makes many good decisions and some bad ones. Maybe we should let him do it, give him a chance to grow up and become a man. Because after all, that’s what he is – a human being who makes mistakes like the rest of us.
I think that sometimes as fans we have to remember this – that Luka is a man of flesh and blood. Because it seems anything but on the field.
Find last week’s Mavericks Feelings here.