Luka Makes TIME 'Next 100' List; Boban Explains

Cleverly, TIME recruits fun-loving teammate Boban Marjanovic to write the profile explaining the merits of Luka Doncic for its "Next 100'' list

DALLAS - TIME magazine's annual "Next 100'' is a prestigious list, highlighting 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future in their respective fields. And Dallas Mavericks' 21-year-old superstar Luka Doncic has made the list.

Cleverly, TIME recruited fun-loving teammate Boban Marjanovic to write the profile explaining the merits of Doncic. And amid a "Next 100'' list that naturally focuses largely on business and politics and, now, showcases coping with the pandemic crisis, Boban shows a light, deft touch.

Here’s what Boban wrote about the young Mavericks superstar:

“You can’t relax on the court with Luka Doncic. Even if you’re not open, he can make Luka magic at any moment—throwing a perfect pass that somehow lands in your hands. Every game, he debuts a new move. It’s crazy.

"He’s just 21, but he has already made an all-NBA First Team and is set to earn many more honors. I see his competitive drive off court: even playing Parcheesi, he wants to win. But he always wins while smiling.''

The Luka influence has of course reinvigorated Mavs basketball in a post-Dirk Nowitzki time. Dallas is struggling a bit now, at 13-15 and in 10th place in the NBA West. But big-picture, Doncic is the face of basketball in DFW, and increasingly, across the country and beyond.

And yes, Boban touches on that - while tying the TIME theme of COVID into his profile of MVP candidate Doncic.

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"I see the influence he carries. Before the pandemic, kids would crowd arenas and team hotels, hoping to see him. And he always made time to sign autographs, to share that Luka magic with the world.”

CONTINUE READING: LeBron James: 'I Would've Made Dallas Cowboys Roster'