21 Candles: The Mavs Luka Doncic And The Fire That Will Test Gold

The Siren’s Call: The Dallas Mavericks Birthday Boy - 21-Year-Old Luka Doncic - And the Fire That Will Ultimately Test Gold

Ignis aurum probat, miseria fortes homines.

The motto of the Prometheus Society, a high IQ society similar to the likes of MENSA, delves from the first three words of the Latin quotation by Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca the Younger: Ignis aurum probat. Those words and their meaning bite as they tip-toe along a fine line of pretense and acrid even before people learn their meaning.

Ignis aurum probat.

Fire tests gold.

Those ancient words reflect and manage to penetrate the image of a young man standing directly and unapologetically on the path to greatness, a young man who has loosely played with those words years before he even reached adulthood. 

It is February 28, and Luka Doncic turns 21. But as far as birthdays go, Doncic didn’t really have the time to reflect on this particular milestone, considering that he doesn’t actually believe it to be a milestone.

“In my country adulthood is 18,” the Slovenian wunderkind told the Dallas Morning News’ Brad Townsend when asked about what turning 21 meant to him.

Although his birthday may just act as another day in Doncic’s eyes, today isn’t just another day. It’s a game day. A game day that sees the fierce Mavericks’ Golden Goose with his left thumb in a disappearing, reappearing splint after sustaining an injury during the Mavericks win over the San Antonio Spurs. As of right now, Doncic is listed as questionable for tonight’s road game against the Miami Heat.

Fire tests gold.

It was against the Heat when Doncic went down with a sprained right ankle on the night of December 14, an injury that caused Luka to miss a significant amount of time on the floor.

While questionable as we write this, it’s hard - as noted here in our Mavs-Heat gameday preview - to believe that Doncic won’t go before the 2,500 Slovenians who traveled 5,000 miles to witness the third matchup between their most famous homegrown athletes: Doncic and Heat guard Goran Dragic.

Ignis aurum probat.

It’s hard to deny the fact that Doncic will want to avenge Dallas’ 122-118 overtime loss to the Heat the night his ankle managed to fail him, even if it means running the risk of exacerbating that wounded thumb of his. 

“I don’t use it a lot, my left hand,” Doncic said to Townsend. “So, I’m glad it’s on the right one.”

While the birthday boy may joke about his injury, it’s no laughing matter to the fans who cringe whenever their beloved Luka is bullied on the court, an occurrence that seems to happen quite a bit. Take note to the fresh facial-slash-ear scratch that the guard sported following Wednesday’s silencing of the Spurs. It was a night that saw the then-20-year-old record his 21 career triple-double, a feat that seemed to reflect the tone and texture of an age that seemingly means nothing to Doncic. Opponents are out for blood.

Ignis aurum probat, miseria fortes homines.

Allow me to give the English translation in full: “As gold is tempered by fire, so strong men are tempered by suffering.”

Every scratch, every ankle sprain, every creak and crackle of a muscle, every shadow of a possible aggravated injury only seems to purify Doncic just as fire purifies gold in order to increase its value – making him all the deadlier on the court and to his opponents. Let the nails fall and the blood flow: suffering will only refine his character and feed the beast within the boy. And what’s scary about all this?

He’s only 21.

Bring on the fire.