Mavs' Luka Doncic Reacts to Retirement of 'Amazing' Mentor Goran Dragic

Mavs superstar Luka Doncic shared his thoughts on his former Slovenia national team co-star, Goran Dragic, retiring from basketball.

SAN FRANCISCO — Goran Dragic's retirement plans were reported on Saturday, as the veteran has played 15 NBA seasons, with his latest being a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. The basketball career of Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic was influenced by having Dragic as a mentor and teammate as members of the Slovenian national team. 

After being selected in the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft, Dragic played in 946 regular season games. He appeared in an additional 62 playoff games over seven different playoff runs, spending seven seasons with the Miami Heat, six with the Phoenix Suns, two with the Houston Rockets, and a season each with the Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Toronto Raptors. 

Doncic helped Slovenia achieve a Gold medal at EuroBasket in 2017, along with competing alongside him at the Tokyo Olympics, coming just short of a medal after losing to Australia in the Bronze medal game. 

"A lot, man," Doncic said of what Dragic meant to him. "Obviously, the most amazing journey I had with him was the EuroBasketball medal. It was an amazing run for him. And I'm just glad I know him. I'm glad I played with him. And I learned actually about leadership in that tournament. He taught me a lot."

Dragic recounted how his mentor was Sasa Doncic, the father of Luka when playing for his first professional team at 15. That's when Dragic first met Luka. 

"One of the craziest stories is when I was 15, I signed my first professional contract. On that team, my mentor was Sasa Doncic, the father of Luka Doncic," Dragic said. "I have known Luka since he was a baby, a kid. He would be there mopping the floor."

When Dragic and Doncic played together for the Slovenian national team at EuroBasket in 2017, it marked the first time the two competed alongside each other. 

"2017 was the first time playing together for the national team with him, and now he is a superstar in the NBA. It's a circle of life. It's unbelievable."

Dragic highlighted how easy it is to play alongside Doncic while highlighting how he took him under his wing as a mentor first by being roommates in 2017. Even at a young age, Doncic showed Doncic immense potential starting for Slovenia. 

"It's easy to play with him," Dragic said of Doncic. "In 2017, Luka was a little bit different. He was still young, I took him under my wings. We were roommates, but even then, you could see that he had an unbelievable talent. As a 17, 18-year-old, to be the starter of your national team and put up big numbers is something unbelievable."

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In the most recent EuroBasket in 2022, Doncic played the role "Batman" while Dragic was "Robin" in a reversal of their roles, which was something Dragic was "really happy" to do. Dragic also highlighted how they hang out on a Croatian island in their spare time with their families. 

"Now, this past EuroBasket was a different story. Back then, I was Batman, he was Robin, and now the roles have reversed," Dragic said. "I was really happy to play with him, he is such a tremendous player. Good kid. We hang out off-season, we go to a Croatian island Krk, and we spend most of the time there with families and kids. It's been awesome. The only thing that was missing last year was a medal."

There were numerous points in which Dragic was linked to the Mavs as a potential target to pair with Doncic, but it never came to fruition. The two thrived alongside each other, playing for Slovenia, and pushed the country to new heights in basketball.