Kids in basketball no longer enjoy as I enjoyed alone
Slovenian basketball virtuoso Luka Doncic was a celebrity guest in the latest episode Lebron James and Steve Nash. In the first part of an in -depth conversation, they walked through Doncic’s experience of playing alongside Lebron in the jersey of Jezernikov from Los Angeles, their mutual understanding on the floor, Luke’s adaptation to life in California, and touched the pressing themes of young basketball players.
Star tandem in yellow-purple seeks the right chemistry
The central part of the basketball -colored debate has been around the collaboration of two exceptional talents in the Jezernik jersey. Nash asked Luka about the feelings of playing with one of his idols. « It’s amazing, » she is in the podcast Mind the Game immediately replied Doncic. “I’ve never played with such a player. I can learn a lot, both on and off the field, especially in terms of preparing for the match – LeBron also comes to the hall ten hours before the match! «
NASH highlighted many similarities in the way Doncic and James play, such as a remarkable overview of the game, the ability to dictate the pace and physical dominance, jokingly noted that Luka may be in the advantage of « shaking ». Doncic admitted that their mutual understanding on the playground is still a « project in progress », but that they are progressing day by day. As an example of their growing cooperation, he mentioned the recent game against Oklahoma: “I think you have seen against OKC today – it’s hard to win there, they are not in vain for one of the best teams of the West. We shared the ball, everyone was coming to open throws. «
Lebron James praised Doncic’s extraordinary ability to always maintain his rhythm, regardless of the pressure of aggressive and athletic defense, as OKC plays. “Never let anyone dictate how he will play. He always controls the events on the parquet, « James emphasized. « For the rest of us, this means that we must always be prepared, because you never know when the ball will find you after any passage that has not been able to make many players in the history of the league. »
Regarding living in Los Angeles, Doncic said: “This is the first place where I play the ocean, and I really love the ocean. The only problem is traffic. ”Photo: Harry How/AFP
An interesting debate has also developed around Doncic’s famous « Late Pass » (Late Pass) when the action seems to be lost, but Luka still finds a way to a free teammate. « I think this developed over time, I did not do it as a kid, » Doncic explained. « I always tell my teammates to stay in place when I jump, because I know where they were, and if I have no alternative, I will give them. » Nash said that such passages require an exceptional vision and also the physical height that Doncic has.
Regarding living in Los Angeles, Doncic said: “This is the first place where I play the ocean, and I really love the ocean. The only problem is traffic. ”He also likes the stellar pulse of the city and the celebrities who regularly watch the matches of Jezernikov.
Growing up with ball and criticism of the modern system
Although they did not analyze the just finished season in more detail or reveal concrete goals for the future, basketball was a red thread through the narrative of their growing up. Doncic, James and Nash awoke memories of how they fell in love with the game, emphasizing all three of them the importance of an informal game on outdoor playgrounds, without constant control of coaches.
This served as an introduction to the central theme of the podcast: the development of young basketball players and the work of the Doncic Foundation. She ordered a large, 300 -page, study that compares systems in Europe and the USA. « I was encouraged by the fact that more and more children are abandoning sports today, probably because they do not have fun the way I do, » explained Doncic. « The main goal is for children to enjoy playing basketball. »
The central part of the basketball -colored debate has been around the collaboration of two exceptional talents in the Jezernik jersey. Photo: Joshua Gateley/AFP
The interlocutors were critical of the commercialization and the excessive structure of youth sport in the United States, where, according to Nasha, « parents sell dreams », and children are very early on to one sport and involved in expensive programs. Lebron James added that such a system leads to premature burnout.
Doncic confirmed that there is no longer as much spontaneous play on the playgrounds in Slovenia as it used to be. His foundation therefore strives to combine the best practices from different backgrounds to restore the joy of playing. To this end, the Athletes Council (Athletes Council) was established, involving players with various experiences such as Nash (Canada), Steph Curry (USA), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) and Doncic himself.
In his career, Nash also played with the former Slovenian ‘captain’, Goran Dragic. Photo: Mike Stone/Reuters
Although the concrete competitive goals for the coming season of Jezerniks were not at the forefront, this will most likely be in one of the future parts of this podcast. The next one will be next week, where the Slovenian Miracle Boy will also be guest.
