Luka Doncic to Pay For Belgrade Elementary School Shooting Victims Funerals; More Details

In the aftermath of a tragic school shooting in Serbia, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is paying his respects by paying for the victims’ funerals, as well as grief counseling for others.

Dalton Trigg | May 4, 2023

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Dallas Mavericks

Following a tragic mass shooting at a Belgrade elementary school that took the lives of eight students and a security officer, Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is stepping in to help with the aftermath.

According to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Doncic is committing to paying for the funerals of all the victims, as well as grief counseling for classmates and staff.

“Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has committed to pay for the funeral services and grief counseling for classmates and staff, a spokesperson for the Luka Doncic Foundation told ESPN on Thursday,” Wojnarowski wrote.

“Doncic has deep family ties to the Serbian capital's region, including a grandmother, aunt, uncle and teenage cousin who lives in the region. His father, Sasha, is a native of Serbia.”

The report also shared a statement from Doncic, who says he is ‘exploring both immediate and long-term’ ways to support those affected by this senseless tragedy.

"I am heartbroken by the tragic school shooting in Serbia and the loss of lives, including those of innocent school children. My thoughts are with the families and the entire community affected by this tragedy,” Doncic said.

"Through my foundation, I am exploring both immediate and long-term ways to support the students, faculty, and families affected by the shooting at the Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School. I am committed and I will continue to share updates and ways to support as details become available."

After falling short of the NBA postseason, Doncic flew back to his home country of Slovenia to be with his friends, family and national team teammates. If all goes according to plan, Doncic will be suiting up for Slovenia in the 2023 FIBA World Cup this summer.

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Published May 4, 2023

DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.