Luka Doncic has returned to Slovenia, where the national team’s medical staff will assess his knee ahead of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Piraeus, Greece, according to Grant Afseth of Dallas Basketball.
Slovenia is set to face Croatia on July 2, the tournament’s opening day. After the Dallas Mavericks’ season ended on June 17, Doncic was unsure about his participation, stating, “Yeah, I think we’ll see how my knee is. But if it’s good, I’m going to go play, yeah.”
During his end-of-season press conference, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison expressed confidence in Doncic’s commitment to the national team, saying, “Playing for the national team is probably one of his biggest joys, so as long as he can walk, he’s probably going to go out there and play for them. That would be my expectation.”
Given his dedication, it’s likely Doncic will play in Piraeus unless medically advised otherwise. Despite sustaining multiple injuries during the playoffs, including a sprained knee, ankle injury, and thoracic contusion, Doncic averaged 40.1 minutes per game.
“He was hurting, but he’s a warrior,” Harrison commented. “He’ll fight through all those injuries because he loves to play. But yes, he had multiple injuries, as evidenced by the way he’s walking and running.”
The Piraeus OQT, one of four tournaments from July 2-7, will determine which countries join France, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Serbia, South Sudan, and the United States at the Paris Olympics. Slovenia will compete against Croatia, Greece, New Zealand, Egypt, and the Dominican Republic for one spot.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is training with Greece’s national team and will also participate in the tournament.
