Dallas Mavs' Luka Doncic Was 'Very Upset' About Not Playing More vs. Real Madrid

Mavs superstar Luka Doncic was "very angry" about being unable to play more minutes against Real Madrid in the team's exhibition game.

MADRID, Spain — There was much anticipation built for Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic making his homecoming to compete against Real Madrid, the club he spent his teenage years developing with until he declared for the 2018 NBA Draft. 

The game proved anticlimactic as Doncic received only five minutes of playing time due to a calf strain, finishing with nine points on three made 3s. He tried to convince the Mavs to allow him to play more in the game and was "very angry" that he could not do so. Regardless, he was glad to experience the moment.

"Seeing my teammates from before was very special; I have a great relationship with them," Doncic said of Real Madrid. "Seeing Florentino Pérez was also a very memorable moment. I've always had a good relationship with him. I wish I could've played more; I was very upset. Comebacks are something special at Madrid; you can never write them off. They showed that again today."

Doncic stated his injury was "nothing serious," but the Mavs wanted to be cautious. He pleaded to the front office to be able to play more, but the team felt it was best not to push through an injury before the regular season.

"It was my calf yesterday in practice, nothing serious," Doncic said. "They just don't want to make it worse, you know? I tried to go and talk to the front office people, but you know me, I wish I played 40 minutes but couldn't."

Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic competing against Real Madrid at WiZink Center in Spain / Víctor Carretero

When reflecting on returning to Madrid, Doncic expressed his gratitude for all the moments he experienced, calling it "very special." There was a video presentation in the arena before the game honoring him, along with him being presented as an honorary member of Insignia and a replica of La Decima. 

"I don't know if I can choose just one thing; it has been all the moments: the video, the introduction, when they gave me the EuroLeague trophy, talking with my teammates — I think it has been very special," Doncic said. "I would have liked to play a lot more, but I had a small problem yesterday. Bad luck. No one wanted to play this game more than me, for sure."

Doncic mentioned he was promised the Mavs would return to play again in Madrid in two or three years. The NBA views European markets like Spain, Greece, Italy, and Germany as key markets in addition to games in London and Paris. 

"They have promised me that we will return here in two or three years," Doncic said. 

Doncic will focus on helping the Mavs to pull off a much stronger season in 2023-24 after finishing with a 38-44 record last season. The team failed to qualify for the play-in tournament and tanked during the two final games of the season, resulting in a $750,000 fine for the organization.