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Early Tuesday morning, members of the Dallas Mavericks met with star goalie Luka Doncic at a Slovenian hotel to officially put pen to paper on a five-year, $ 207 million contract extension. And a few hours later, they were on stage to announce it, Doncic saying he “never had any doubts” about his signing.
“It’s a really special time here. Thanks to Dallas for giving me this,” he said. “I still don’t know what to say because I never imagined it would happen. I dreamed of only playing in the NBA, but now I can sign an overtime with the Dallas Mavericks for five more years, which I never had a doubt, I always wanted to sign this.
Along with Doncic on the stage were his agents Bill Duffy and Quique Villalobos, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, general manager Nico Harrison and coach Jason Kidd. Cuban opened his remarks with a statement in Slovenian as Doncic smiled.
“It’s a big day,” Cuban said. “When we drafted Luka in 2018, we had an idea that he was good. But we never imagined that he was so good. It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work on his part. didn’t just show up, he put in the time all his life.
“To be able to announce that he’s signed an overtime with the Dallas Mavericks and we want him to copy – not copy, but to have the same type of Hall of Fame career if not more than Dirk [Nowitzki], who sits here in the front row. “
The 22-year-old goalie quickly rose to the top of the league, becoming one of the NBA’s brightest stars. His contract is a landmark deal as the biggest rookie extension in history due to his eligibility for a Designated Maximum since being twice named to the All-NBA First Team.
During a 30-minute press conference, Doncic answered questions in Slovenian, English and Spanish. An interpreter translated Doncic’s answers. Asked by a member of the Slovenian media what he will start spending his money on, Doncic laughed.
“Yes, it’s a big sum, but I still don’t think about it,” Doncic said, via the interpreter. “I haven’t bought myself anything worthwhile yet. But I have to treat it more before I start spending.”
While waiting for the end of the Olympics, where Doncic led his country to the bronze medal match, a contingent of the Mavs traveled to Ljubljana, Slovenia, to present the contract offer.
“Just to confirm to Luka how important he is to us and how much this is just the start,” Cuban said of the Mavs presenting the contract in person. “We want him to know that we are there for him, whether it’s here in Slovenia, Dallas or anywhere in the world. Part of that process is not only knowing him, but also knowing what is important to him. The way he looks at things. Coming here, walking around the city, spending time with him and meeting the people of Ljubljana, that gave us that first step.
In Tokyo, Doncic was arguably the tournament’s most notable player, scoring 48 points in his Olympic debut and setting an Olympic record with 18 assists in a semi-final loss to France.
“It means a lot. It’s amazing,” Doncic said via an interpreter of the Mavs coming to his hometown. “It says a lot about your coming here to Ljubljana. You are great people and I am very grateful that this is happening.”
Doncic’s career began with Real Madrid, where he became the youngest MVP in EuroLeague history in 2017-18. He was ranked third in the 2018 draft by the Atlanta Hawks, but was immediately traded to Dallas for Trae Young and a future first-round pick.
“The first one I heard of [Doncic] when was [Real Madrid] played the Thunder in a preseason game and watched the game, ”Cuban said.“ Obviously there was a lot of talk about him and I think he scored on Russell Westbrook, I think it was, or kept Russell or something, and he got people’s attention. I followed him from there and we talked a lot about him. “
Despite some internal turmoil with the Mavericks at the start of the summer, with the resignation of longtime general manager Donnie Nelson and the departure of coach Rick Carlisle for the Indiana Pacers, Doncic signing overtime was never really put. questioned.
“First of all, what it feels like to be in Dallas is like a second home. It’s like home there, I feel good,” he said. “The people who work for the organization are great people. I feel good there. I can’t say anything else.”
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