Rich Fury/Getty Images
Luka Doncic has already been showered with “MVP!” chants before he is legally permitted to buy an alcoholic beverage. The 20-year-old joined LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to have multiple games with at least 40 points and 10 assists before their 21st birthday.
The dude is going to be a problem in the NBA for a very long time, and for a very long time, Vlade Divac will go to bed wishing an old grudge didn’t deter him from passing on the then 19-year-old EuroLeague MVP. Allegedly.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon revealed a significant factor in the Kings, who had the second pick in the 2018 draft, choosing Duke freshman Marvin Bagley over the player who is currently riding a streak of four straight games with at least 30 points and 10 assists.
“My understanding is that [Divac] being so close to Luka and knowing his dad so well factored into their decision. Basically, he didn’t think a whole lot of Luka’s dad, and the whole like father like son … well … no, this is a different dude. You messed that one up, Vlade.”
Luka’s dad, Sasha Doncic, is a professional basketball coach and former EuroLeague player. He played for teams in Vlade’s native Serbia, so it’s likely the two mingled in the EuroLeague circuit. Vlade’s opinion on Sasha evidently wasn’t glowing enough for him to take a chance on his superstar son.
My hypothesis is that Vlade Divac despised Sasha because he was envious of his wife.
That makes 3.6 billion of us, Vlade. Deal with it.