Luka Doncic Reveals Mavs Promise to Return to Madrid as NBA Desires Growth in Spain, Europe

Mavs superstar Luka Doncic revealed the team's plans to return to Spain as the NBA seeks continued growth in the NBA.

MADRID, Spain — The Dallas Mavericks completed an unprecedented international preseason schedule with a loss against Real Madrid at WiZink Center. Luka Doncic had a warm reception from the host and fans but was limited to playing just five minutes due to a calf strain. 

Doncic was grateful to be back in Madrid and to see familiar faces but was "very upset" that he was unable to play longer in front of the fans who supported him for years before he departed Europe to join the NBA. He finished with nine points and did his best to put on a show within his opportunity.

"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 revealed that Mavs general manager Nico Harrison promised him of the team's plans to return to compete against Real Madrid within two or three years.

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

The NBA has a process that goes into selection, which teams play in international settings, requiring cooperation from both sides. As explained by NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, the opportunity to have Doncic return to Spain was a significant appeal, considering his popularity and participation with Real Madrid the last time the NBA played in Spain. Doncic, who was 16 then, played 18 minutes in the 142-137 upset victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2016. The circumstances offered the potential for a historic matchup this time.

"The last time we played games here was in 2016, and of course, Luka Doncic was playing for Real Madrid," Tatum said. "I remember that game because it was an overtime thriller, and Real [Madrid] beat Oklahoma City [Thunder]; we knew back then Luka was going to be a special talent. he went on to win the EuroLeague MVP and Finals MVP, the youngest player ever to do that. And so, for us to be able to be back here and now, have him play against his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, will be a historic match-up."

Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic driving against Jaden McDaniels in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates :: Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images

With the Mavs having strong motivation from Cuban and Doncic to play against Real Madrid in Spain, the NBA found it a mutually beneficial outcome for Dallas to be one of the two teams to play in Abu Dhabi before ultimately heading to Spain, then heading back to Texas. The business priorities of each team are heard regarding willingness and desired locations; then, the league determines the best approach that benefits all parties involved. Having Doncic be among the players in Abu Dhabi was a decisive factor, given he has the No. 1 selling jersey in the Middle East, and the league seeks to grow its presence in the region. 

"There are a lot of teams that also want to come back and play here in Spain, but Mark [Cuban] and Luka [Doncic] were the obvious choice," Tatum said. "We thought it was nice that the time an NBA team was here, Luka was on the other side, so now we bring Luka back on the other side to play against Real. The other thing, too, is we decided to play these games in Abu Dhabi, and the Mavericks were going to Abu Dhabi; we said it would be a good opportunity on the way home from Abu Dhabi to play in Spain, then go back home. That's how we do all of our discussions; we hear from the teams, they tell us where they want to go, we have our business priorities, and then we try to marry those things up."

Doncic mentioned he would like to return to Spain to check out Real Madrid's new Santiago Bernabéu Stadium after not getting a chance to do so this time. Could the Mavs return to play against Real Madrid at that venue?

"I haven't seen it, but hopefully, we'll play there one day, with the NBA bringing us back," Doncic said before the game. 

The NBA is already intrigued by having a team compete against Real Madrid at the new Santiago Bernabéu Stadium once it's fully completed. The league had Tatum check out the facility while in Madrid, and he was very impressed. It would only align with the league's process in determining international competition. 

"It was natural that they would both want to bring Luka back here, and we did too," Tatum said. "We had the opportunity today to look at the new Bernabeu and incredible what they've done. I saw the system where they lift the pitch, and they shifted over, and it's truly world-class and will be a world-class stadium facility. It's not fully done yet, and I think, at some point, under the right circumstances, we would love to play there, and those are conversations we will have with Real [Madrid].

There are pros and cons for any NBA team traveling to another continent to play before a new set of fans. The potential to grow a fanbase and the game at large is the most apparent benefit, but it's also beneficial to have that opportunity to build off-court bonds through long plane rides, exploring a new city, and hosting team dinners. The Mavs completed the most extensive international preseason trip in NBA history, spanning 12 days with three total games in two regions. The idea was something the Mavs supported from top to bottom. 

"It's a partnership with the team — if they didn't feel comfortable doing that, we're not going to make them do that," Tatum said of the Mavs' 12-day international trip. "I think every situation we deal with certainly going forward will be a co-operation with the team. They were up for it, everyone from Mark Cuban to Nico Harrison, Cynt Marshall on the business side, Jason Kidd, and the players. They were all generally excited about that; it was their first time in Abu Dhabi for many. I spent much time with everyone there, and they loved it. They thought it was a great experience to see fans in Abu Dhabi and from all over 60 different countries, to be there. I think it was inspiring for this team.

"One of the things I think they get out of this preseason, and particularly this team for this amount of time, is the bond," Tatum explained. "They're having meals together. They had a team dinner [in Madrid]. They had a team dinner in Abu Dhabi. You're spending time bonding with your teammates, and there have been some new teammates, so building chemistry, I think, is a real benefit for them. 

"I've talked to Jason Kidd, I've talked to Mark Cuban, I've talked to Nico Harrison, I've talked to Cynt Marshall, and I've talked to several players, including Dwight Powell and Grant Williams, and they're loving it," Tatum explained further.

Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic posts up against Real Madrid in Spain / Pedro Castillo

There is a desire for Spain to host a regular season NBA match, but the league remains focused on having London and Paris host them in the short-term due to regional draw and venue quality. Victor Wembanyama's emergencies certainly didn't hurt France's outlook as a host city, either. 

"One of the first things we have to have in a city is a world-class arena," Tatum said. "And so, when we started going to London, the bet arena was at the 02. And so, to be able to play a game, their regular season game, the arena had to be at a certain standard, and the 02 was that standard. 

"As we evolved and we thought about the other important markets, France is a huge basketball market, strong basketball culture," Tatum explained. "We knew the French talent, Victor Wembanyama, was on the horizon, and the Olympics will be held there next year. So, all those things go into play regarding growing the markets."

The NBA does view Spain as an "important market" as the league continues to attempt to grow in popularity in Europe, along with Germany, Greece, and Italy. The NBA is encouraged by recent arena developments that could result in luring regular season competition within various European markets beyond London and Paris. 

"There are other markets that we are looking at. Spain is an important market. Germany is an important market. Italy, Greece, all these are important markets for us. A lack of a facility hampers some of them," Tatum said. "I think there is starting to be more investment in basketball facilities here in Europe. I know there are new projects here; there are new projects in Manchester. So that's starting to come along, opening up more opportunities for us to play in more places."

The NBA will likely use a minimal approach to hosting regular season competition in global markets until the speed of planes increases, enabling the team to maintain better flow within travel schedules for an 82-game season. 

As the NBA continues to attempt to grow the league's popularity in Europe, Doncic will surely factor into it prominently. His relationship with Real Madrid and the Spanish fans makes the Mavs a no-brainer to serve as that ambassador.