Mavs' Luka Doncic Reacts to Retirement of 'Amazing' Mentor Goran Dragic

Dragic recounted how his mentor was Sasa Doncic, the father of Luka when playing for his first professional team at 15. That's when Dragic first met Luka. 

"One of the craziest stories is when I was 15, I signed my first professional contract. On that team, my mentor was Sasa Doncic, the father of Luka Doncic," Dragic said. "I have known Luka since he was a baby, a kid. He would be there mopping the floor."

When Dragic and Doncic played together for the Slovenian national team at EuroBasket in 2017, it marked the first time the two competed alongside each other. 

"2017 was the first time playing together for the national team with him, and now he is a superstar in the NBA. It's a circle of life. It's unbelievable."

Dragic highlighted how easy it is to play alongside Doncic while highlighting how he took him under his wing as a mentor first by being roommates in 2017. Even at a young age, Doncic showed Doncic immense potential starting for Slovenia. 

"It's easy to play with him," Dragic said of Doncic. "In 2017, Luka was a little bit different. He was still young, I took him under my wings. We were roommates, but even then, you could see that he had an unbelievable talent. As a 17, 18-year-old, to be the starter of your national team and put up big numbers is something unbelievable."

In the most recent EuroBasket in 2022, Doncic played the role "Batman" while Dragic was "Robin" in a reversal of their roles, which was something Dragic was "really happy" to do. Dragic also highlighted how they hang out on a Croatian island in their spare time with their families. 

"Now, this past EuroBasket was a different story. Back then, I was Batman, he was Robin, and now the roles have reversed," Dragic said. "I was really happy to play with him, he is such a tremendous player. Good kid. We hang out off-season, we go to a Croatian island Krk, and we spend most of the time there with families and kids. It's been awesome. The only thing that was missing last year was a medal."

There were numerous points in which Dragic was linked to the Mavs as a potential target to pair with Doncic, but it never came to fruition. The two thrived alongside each other, playing for Slovenia, and pushed the country to new heights in basketball.